it is customary in the green mountain state to plant a vegetable garden during the weekend preceding memorial day. this is because the danger of frost has usually subsided by the end of may.
not so this year, apparently.
on wednesday morning we discovered that the thermometer had dipped to 34 degrees overnight. upon inspection, however, our plants seemed fine...a few lower leaves on the zucchini plants seemed limp, but otherwise ok. this morning we awoke to find that the thermometer registered 32.9 degrees as the lowest temperature of the morning. eeeek! pretty close call! this morning we inspected the garden and things seemed copasetic. perhaps we got lucky, in that the garden is located in the eastern corner of our property, and gets lots of morning sunshine? i dunno. i'll report later on how our plants fared throughout the day.
i guess it's a good thing that i didn't transplant the remainder of our veggies yet. yikes!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
gardening goodness
hooray for long weekends filled with sunshine! we made tremendous progress on our garden, with the help of grandma and grandpa, who were up for a visit.
i'm not sure how much detail i've provided about our garden bed. probably not much, other than that it was filled with hostas. anyhoo, we have a fairly sizable garden, flanked on all sides by a low stone wall. i'd guestimate that it is about...15 x 20? and has two beds, divided by another stone wall: one large rectangle (about 12 x 20 ft), and one skinny rectangle (about 3 x 20 ft).
when we started the weekend out, it was filled with weeds and mystery perennials. a few weekends ago i dug out two massive hosta plants, divided them up, and transplanted them to a few shady spots on the property, including my new "mother's day perennial garden," which i promise to take pictures of and post. there are several large clumps of mystery perennial flowers on the shadier, southern end of the garden, and i dug a few up and moved them to the empty spaces where the hostas once were. so approximately 1/3 of the garden is occupied by mystery flowers at the moment, and we're going to wait and see what comes up and then either transplant them in the early fall or, more likely, transplant them next spring when we figure out where they should go.
we spent a considerable amount of time weeding, spreading compost, and turning over the garden bed. we still have a little more soil preparation to do, but most of it is finished, and we were able to plant 10 tomato plants (thanks to grandpa, who brought them up from nj) and two mounds of zucchini. pete found materials (in our barn) to build a trellis for our cucumbers, so this week we will get the cukes in the ground, and probably also the broccoli. and i'll plant some lettuce directly into the ground. basil plants are just about ready to go into the ground. we have a few small pepper plants and chard plants inside in peat pots, but i'm gonna wait another week or so before putting them outside.
i am pretty durned whooped today. and a little sunburned.
i'm not sure how much detail i've provided about our garden bed. probably not much, other than that it was filled with hostas. anyhoo, we have a fairly sizable garden, flanked on all sides by a low stone wall. i'd guestimate that it is about...15 x 20? and has two beds, divided by another stone wall: one large rectangle (about 12 x 20 ft), and one skinny rectangle (about 3 x 20 ft).
when we started the weekend out, it was filled with weeds and mystery perennials. a few weekends ago i dug out two massive hosta plants, divided them up, and transplanted them to a few shady spots on the property, including my new "mother's day perennial garden," which i promise to take pictures of and post. there are several large clumps of mystery perennial flowers on the shadier, southern end of the garden, and i dug a few up and moved them to the empty spaces where the hostas once were. so approximately 1/3 of the garden is occupied by mystery flowers at the moment, and we're going to wait and see what comes up and then either transplant them in the early fall or, more likely, transplant them next spring when we figure out where they should go.
we spent a considerable amount of time weeding, spreading compost, and turning over the garden bed. we still have a little more soil preparation to do, but most of it is finished, and we were able to plant 10 tomato plants (thanks to grandpa, who brought them up from nj) and two mounds of zucchini. pete found materials (in our barn) to build a trellis for our cucumbers, so this week we will get the cukes in the ground, and probably also the broccoli. and i'll plant some lettuce directly into the ground. basil plants are just about ready to go into the ground. we have a few small pepper plants and chard plants inside in peat pots, but i'm gonna wait another week or so before putting them outside.
i am pretty durned whooped today. and a little sunburned.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
so.tired.
i have never been a big coffee drinker. in fact, too much caffeine makes me extremely anxious, jittery, and occaisionally results in insomnia or cold sweats. yuck. but admittedly, over the past six months or so i have come to cherish my morning cuppa. and this morning especially.
putting aubrey to bed last night was a relatively minor event. pete gave her a bottle, and when he put her down she fussed for a minute. but once he left the room she went silent, and then resorted to singing herself lullabies for ten minutes before drifting off. phew! i was prepared for a battle.
so that doesn't explain why i'm tired now, does it? let's just say, it's been one of the THOSE mornings. for starters, cabot woke us up at 4am, puking up bits of plastic. ??? the commotion caused aubrey to stir (she's an uber light sleeper). having been jolted out of my sleep and sent scurrying in the dark to find the paper towels, i was pretty much totally awake and unable to fall back to sleep. i tried, believe me. but aubrey started fussing at 5am, and then cabot puked again, and then...the alarm went off. and that's pretty much how the morning went.
we think cabot chewed up an electrical outlet cover that was removed by the electricians last week and haphazardly placed on top of a cardboard box that had suspcious dog nibbles on one corner. ew. very gross and some what alarming.
i don't think i mentioned that aubrey said "banana" twice yesterday at school. we tried to get her to replicate it at home last night by showing her a banana, but all she wanted to do was chew on it. ger.
putting aubrey to bed last night was a relatively minor event. pete gave her a bottle, and when he put her down she fussed for a minute. but once he left the room she went silent, and then resorted to singing herself lullabies for ten minutes before drifting off. phew! i was prepared for a battle.
so that doesn't explain why i'm tired now, does it? let's just say, it's been one of the THOSE mornings. for starters, cabot woke us up at 4am, puking up bits of plastic. ??? the commotion caused aubrey to stir (she's an uber light sleeper). having been jolted out of my sleep and sent scurrying in the dark to find the paper towels, i was pretty much totally awake and unable to fall back to sleep. i tried, believe me. but aubrey started fussing at 5am, and then cabot puked again, and then...the alarm went off. and that's pretty much how the morning went.
we think cabot chewed up an electrical outlet cover that was removed by the electricians last week and haphazardly placed on top of a cardboard box that had suspcious dog nibbles on one corner. ew. very gross and some what alarming.
i don't think i mentioned that aubrey said "banana" twice yesterday at school. we tried to get her to replicate it at home last night by showing her a banana, but all she wanted to do was chew on it. ger.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
clingy
in addition to being cranky on account of her burgeoning milk teeth, aubrey has been very clingy over the past few days. for example: she will be happily playing on her own, and when i walk into the room or try to interact with her, she drops her toy and holds out her arms for me. she does this with pete, too, but the behavior is more particularly associated with me. mama.
last night we had a dreadful time getting aubrey off to bed. i should preface this by mentioning that for the past week or so, i've noticed that after i nurse aubrey and put her in her crib with her favorite "wormy" (rainbow colored caterpillar that she love love loves) tucked under her arm, she looks up at me as if to say, "really? it's bed time and you're leaving me now?" but she usually doesn't put up a fuss. if she does, it's nothing more than a whimper.
not last night. after i put her down, she instantly broke out in tears. which turned into sobs. i then did what i probably shouldn't have done...i picked her up. she calmed down after a minute of rocking, and then i put her back in her crib. more crying.
"MaaaAAaAaaaA...MaaaAaaAAAaAa!!!!!!!"
she was pissed! i rubbed her tummy for a minute, said "nite nite," and then quietly backed away from the crib.
fifteen or so minutes later, she was still crying, so pete went up and tried to comfort her. of course, this made her really mad, but eventually, she gave up and fell asleep.
i really, really hate it when this happens. i feel bad for aubrey, but i know that she needs to sleep and she needs to figure out how to get to sleep on her own. actually, she knows how to fall asleep on her own...i suspect that last night's fussing was due newly developed separation anxiety. i fear that tonite will be a repeat performance. i'm hoping that this is just a phase and she will get over it quickly. in the meantime, i will be pouring over me books about sleep habits in children to see what the "experts" have to say.
last night we had a dreadful time getting aubrey off to bed. i should preface this by mentioning that for the past week or so, i've noticed that after i nurse aubrey and put her in her crib with her favorite "wormy" (rainbow colored caterpillar that she love love loves) tucked under her arm, she looks up at me as if to say, "really? it's bed time and you're leaving me now?" but she usually doesn't put up a fuss. if she does, it's nothing more than a whimper.
not last night. after i put her down, she instantly broke out in tears. which turned into sobs. i then did what i probably shouldn't have done...i picked her up. she calmed down after a minute of rocking, and then i put her back in her crib. more crying.
"MaaaAAaAaaaA...MaaaAaaAAAaAa!!!!!!!"
she was pissed! i rubbed her tummy for a minute, said "nite nite," and then quietly backed away from the crib.
fifteen or so minutes later, she was still crying, so pete went up and tried to comfort her. of course, this made her really mad, but eventually, she gave up and fell asleep.
i really, really hate it when this happens. i feel bad for aubrey, but i know that she needs to sleep and she needs to figure out how to get to sleep on her own. actually, she knows how to fall asleep on her own...i suspect that last night's fussing was due newly developed separation anxiety. i fear that tonite will be a repeat performance. i'm hoping that this is just a phase and she will get over it quickly. in the meantime, i will be pouring over me books about sleep habits in children to see what the "experts" have to say.
Monday, May 19, 2008
back from grammie's
whew, it's only 10 am on monday morning and i'm already pooped. i guess that's what travelling and dealing with a cranky teething child will do to you.
we spent the past weekend visiting with my family on the cape. on the ride down we spent 1 1/2 hours sitting in boston traffic, which is never pleasant, and is even less pleasant with a restless baby and dog flailing about in the back seat.
it was wonderful to visit with family, but unfortunately aubrey was not feeling her best. she was pretty miserable on saturday, with (i think) an upset tummy and teething pain. and she didn't sleep very well that night, which made everyone pretty tired on sunday. nonetheless, she wowed the grands, great-grands, aunties, and uncles with her impressive crawling, pulling up and verbal skills.
we are back at the ranch, and facing mountains of laundry, a lawn in desparate need of a trim (and a daddy in need of a trim, too...), and lots of cleaning to do in preparation for the arrival of the inlaws at the end of the week. i'm getting tired just thinking about it all.
BUT! you should see our little veggie plants growing happily in their pots! almost everthing has sprouted by now...we have healthy morning glory plants that need to get planted, baby broccoli plants, lots of zucchini and cucumbers, itty bitty basil sprouts and - FINALLY! - pepper sprouts! we are still waiting on chard and lettuce, which i planted a bit later than the others. soon though!
and our lilac trees are starting to bloom. it is so nice to be surrounded by so much greenery!
we spent the past weekend visiting with my family on the cape. on the ride down we spent 1 1/2 hours sitting in boston traffic, which is never pleasant, and is even less pleasant with a restless baby and dog flailing about in the back seat.
it was wonderful to visit with family, but unfortunately aubrey was not feeling her best. she was pretty miserable on saturday, with (i think) an upset tummy and teething pain. and she didn't sleep very well that night, which made everyone pretty tired on sunday. nonetheless, she wowed the grands, great-grands, aunties, and uncles with her impressive crawling, pulling up and verbal skills.
we are back at the ranch, and facing mountains of laundry, a lawn in desparate need of a trim (and a daddy in need of a trim, too...), and lots of cleaning to do in preparation for the arrival of the inlaws at the end of the week. i'm getting tired just thinking about it all.
BUT! you should see our little veggie plants growing happily in their pots! almost everthing has sprouted by now...we have healthy morning glory plants that need to get planted, baby broccoli plants, lots of zucchini and cucumbers, itty bitty basil sprouts and - FINALLY! - pepper sprouts! we are still waiting on chard and lettuce, which i planted a bit later than the others. soon though!
and our lilac trees are starting to bloom. it is so nice to be surrounded by so much greenery!
Friday, May 16, 2008
crawlin' around
so aubrey is perfecting her crawling skills everyday, and roving around the house, hungry to explore. of course, she seems to be the most fascinated by the dangerous curiousities. (Oooh, electrical socket...oooh, heavy vacuum cleaner that will topple over on me....)i just frantically ordered two baby gates from amazon. and you can bet yer bottom dollar that i am covering every socket and installing locks on our cabinet doors stat.
but really, aubrey is so friggin' cute when she crawls! especially on the wooden floors, which create a treadmill effect due to their slippery-ness. note to self: must capture on video.
aubrey's first birthday is approaching, and although we have been the fortunate recipients of many hand-me-down toys and clothes, i would like to buy her a couple of new toys. i am totally in love with oompa toys and am finding it hard to choose between all of the super cool things that they offer. (i am a sucker for everything Haba.)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
happy stander
i think i mentioned previously that one of booper's favorite things to do lately is to practice standing. we aren't quite at the stage of walking while holding onto mummy's fingers...but we are close!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
mother's day!
happy mother's day! today i celebrated my FIRST mother's day! the day started on a good note when aubrey decided to sleep in until almost 7:30. sweet. not only that, but the sun was shining brightly and there was not a cloud in the sky. double sweet! then pete and aubrey gave me prezzies: the fabulous sneakers pictured above (which i desperately need); a lovely dahlia in a clay pot painted lovingly in brilliant orange and blue by the little miss; and a funny book about mommies.
after prezzies, we all headed to one of our favorite places for breakfast. engorged myself with eggs benedict and homefries. and really good coffee. then we headed home and put aubrey down for a nap. she slept for nearly TWO! HOURS! during which time we transplanted a bunch of perennials from the veggie garden into a few little flower beds that we are resurrecting. and pete got our composting contraption up and running.
in the afternoon, we took a wonderful little hike on the trails right in the back of our yard. it was our first time exploring the trails so far this year and all i have to say is - dang, we're lucky. they are awesome. lots of people use them for mountain biking so they are wide and well maintained.
and this evening pete grilled us some lamb burgers, which we topped with feta and greens. and i'm about to tuck into a pint of coconut gelato....yum.
oh yes, and i just discovered more sprouts! two zucchinis and a cuke! mother's day doesn't get much better, i tell you.
Friday, May 9, 2008
forward locomotion...
oh yes, aubrey has figured out how to crawl forward. she's a little shaky on the slippery wooden floors (she usually ends up with both legs splayed out behind her...no matter, she still gets around with her commando-style moves) but on the carpet, there's definitely some forward momentum. CRAAAAAZY! my baby is getting so big!!!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
a taste of spring
i love foraging for wild edibles, and fiddleheads are one of my favorite spring treats. unfortunately i haven't had much time to hunt any down so far this season. luckily, a good friend brought some over last night, which we promptly cooked up and added to our mushroom risotto. a lovely way to enjoy fiddleheads. yum!
on the gardening front: pete ordered two apple tree sapplings a while back, and they finally arrived in the mail this past weekend. they are now happily planted in the back yard. hopefully in six years or so we'll be enjoying crisp cortlands and northern spys from our very own trees!
we are still waiting for pepper, cucumber, zucchini and basil sprouts to appear. hopefully any day now. in the meantime our tiny broccoli and morning glory sprouts are on the grow. yipee!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
and now we have three
teeth, that is. yep. one's broken through on the top. she may have more than one, but she wasn't too happy to have me poking my finger around in her mouth.
we also have broccoli and morning glory sprouts. and zucchini, cukes, and basil seeds nestled into peat pots.
i meant to download the pictures on my camera last night, but i got a call from a good friend and we chatted for so long i was ready for bed when i got off the phone. so tonite! i WILL download them and post some soon. i promise!
we also have broccoli and morning glory sprouts. and zucchini, cukes, and basil seeds nestled into peat pots.
i meant to download the pictures on my camera last night, but i got a call from a good friend and we chatted for so long i was ready for bed when i got off the phone. so tonite! i WILL download them and post some soon. i promise!
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