Feeling Energized at Home - 2013

Last year I wrote about September being my high energy month of the year - and it is still true in 2013. This year the energy level seems to be even greater and directed over a broader swath of activities.

Basil ready to dryLike last year, there is a lot to do outdoor as we near the end of the growing season. The red-purple leafed plum tree has lost enough leaves to begin raking; my plan it to spread them over the garden patch cleared of lemon balm, honeysuckle, and other wild plants in August. I’ll scatter seed pods from cone flowers and zinnias there so that flowers will grow there next summer under the sycamore.  I am also harvest basil and mint from the containers on the deck; the basil is already in a tray in the kitchen drying. The mint may take more than one tray so I’m waiting to cut and process it until the basil is dry and stored away for winter soups.

Clearing ‘stuff’ from the house is splitting into two efforts.

• Two T-shirt DressThe first is to change items into forms that are more useful. The two t-shirt dresses are an example I wrote about earlier this month. I’ve also made a Kaftan from a piece of fabric - using an old handkerchief for part of the neckline (I’ll post about it when I finish). I’ve also discovered that an old Mr. Coffee carafe (the machine itself has long since been replaced) with its handle removed fits in crockpot for baking and custards. We’ve also repurposed my husband’s the old chair mat that was cracked to protect the carpet under and around the cat litter.
• The second is to start reducing the number of ‘keepsake’ boxes. For over 15 years while my daughter was growing up we always had a box that was catching anything we did not immediately decide to recycle or trash. There are several boxes for every year! I’m going to use a ping pong table to make annual piles and I’m sure there will be quite a lot that is not worth keeping.

Considerable energy is going into planning for travel and guests for the next 6 months. I always like to do my research about places I travel and understand what guests will be most interesting in seeing when they are in town. I enjoy the planning almost as much as the activities planned!

I’ve already posted about classes in progress. There are now 4 Coursera classes in progress. They are all excellent - thought provoking in very different ways.

September is definitely a high energy month for me. It’s easy to be enthusiastic about everything in my days.

Plants on the Deck

I just finished reading May Sarton’s autobiography from when she was in her 50s - Plant Dreaming Deep. She describes her move to Nelson NH. The garden around the house appears frequently in the book: how it looks from various windows of the house, the cutting of flowers in the morning, the weeding and planting of the afternoons, the taming of brush to reveal a stone wall, the agony of a drought when there was not enough water available for the plants.

I’ve experienced similar thoughts about the garden at my house - particularly with the plants in pots on my deck. It is not a particularly large grouping (this year) and there are only a few types of plants: zinnias, cardinal flowers, mint (3 kinds), and basil (2 kinds).

Hummingbird and cardinal flowerThey are visible from the window over the kitchen sink, through the French door from the breakfast area and the screened in part of the deck. The most frequent viewing is from the kitchen window - when I wash vegetables, get a cup of tea, or stand leaning over the sink to eat a juicy orange or peach. I notice the butterflies, hummingbirds, and goldfinches most frequently from there. There is a chair in the breakfast area turned to look outward for longer observation. When I sit on the deck - I sometimes look at the pots but am more frequently listening to the bird and cicada songs.Tiger swallowtail and zinnia

The plants each have their own mini-story.

The zinnias are from seeds my sister saved from her garden. They are degenerates of hybrids but I find the variety appealing and the insects/birds love both their nectar and seeds. I also like to cut a single flower for a bud vase on my desk.Goldfinch and zinnia seed pod

The mint has been propagated from various places around the house and into pots via cuttings. My favorite is the variety that grows in my daughter’s old turtle sandbox although I cut all varities to dry for use with black tea to make my favorite beverage: mint tea. Mid-way through the season I was introduced to the notion of creating pots of plants that included three components: thriller, spiller, and filler. Mint will be the “spiller and filler” for next year.Mint (pot and turtle sandbox) on right and zinnia on left

Zinnia and cardinal flowerThe cardinal flower was a gift from a volunteer organization I worked with earlier in the season. It is expanding into the large pot I put it in. It will be one of the “thriller” plants for next year. I may start another pot from seed as well. It certainly likes to be kept wet; discovering a long lost, half-full bag of peat moss in the garage just before I created the pot was fortunate. I already have a few mint plants that have taken root at one edge of the pot.

The basil seeds were gifts: seed balls from my daughter and a collection of seeds from my husband (that I thought might we too old to sprout). I cut a few leaves for a salad or sauce several times a week and have - so far - kept it from going to seed.

I keep the plants hydrated with water collected from cleaning fruits and vegetables - unless it is very hot and more is needed. The zinnias visibly droop when they need water; they are the indicator plant for watering.

I am full of plans for next year already. More large pots on my wish list for birthday and Christmas - and I’ll look for pot sales too. And I’m thinking of plants for next year too:

• Thrillers: zinnias, cardinal flower
• Fillers: basil, parsley, mint, cilantro
• Spillers: mint, sweet potato

The rest of the flower beds and gardens around the house are not completely unnoticed, but the pots on the deck are the ones I see most frequently. They are a very special luxury!

Ten Days of Little Celebrations - August 2013

A year ago I posted about finding something to celebrate each day. It’s an easy thing for me to do and the habit of writing it down reminds me to be grateful for these and a myriad of other things in my life. This month has been full of ‘little celebrations;’ here are my top 10.

Hummingbirds. The zinnas and cardinal flowers on our deck have been magnets for hummingbirds all during August. I love watching them from my kitchen window. They are the flying jewels of the garden.

Laurie Colwin. I had read most of her books years ago but finally read Home Cooking this month. I celebrated the books she wrote - wishing she had lived to produce more.

Declining weight. It is a wonderful thing when a diet has the desired effect. I celebrated a major milestone with a piece of cheesecake and each lower weight with small piece of dark chocolate. Of course - those celebratory calories have to be included in the total for the day….no backsliding allowed.

Goldfinches. The seeds on the blazing stars are ripening enough to be attractive to goldfinches. I am anticipating that we will see more of them as it gets cooler.

Gardening. It is unusual to have the flowerbeds weed free at the same time. I’m celebrating the accomplishment…..and the room it gives me to try propagating the overgrown hydrangea bushes.

Flip flops. I found 2 flip flops in my size on sale - and it was the sale tax free week too!

Open window. It was wonderfully cool on quite a few mornings this August and I opened my office window to the sounds of the outdoors. How much more connected people were with the outdoors before air conditioning!

Morning snack ritual. I enjoy sitting outside while eating my fruit at mid-morning. The deck is in heavy shade at that time of day and I light the shelf fungus wick in a plate of oil. The large, bell toned chimes add to the sounds of insects and birds with every little breeze.

Coursera History of Humankind. It is probably the most thought provoking course I’ve taken so far….and I am celebrating that it lasts for 17 weeks!

Fresh mint tea. I have harvest mint twice this summer already and there will be another harvest before frost. My favorite beverage is made with a chopped mint leaves and black tea in the filter of my tea maker (a coffee maker that has never made coffee). Most of the crop is dried but the pots made with the freshly chopped leaves are always the most fragrant and flavorful.

Around our (Maryland) Yard in August 2013

August has been cooler and wetter than usual for us. The plants are growing vigorously. The butterflies enjoy the cone flowers and mint. Both plants will be in bloom for the rest of the season. I did a sequence of cone flower development from petals just unfurling to the beginning of seed pod development.

The blazing stars that were attractive to butterflies earlier in the season are developing seeds now. I’ve already seen a few goldfinches enjoying the earliest harvest.

The hydrangea is fading although some of the blooms will simply dry on the bush.

The chives are getting ready to bloom. In September they will be a highlight of the garden. There are some that came up too near the edge of the garden that I am pulling up and enjoying in salads.

And last but not least the dahlias. They are attractive in just about every way…large, robust flowers….glossy green foliage…there for butterflies and bees and wasps to enjoy.

Mint and Orange Zest

Yesterday was full of wonderful smells: mint and orange peel.

I harvested two baskets of mint from pots and a reused turtle sandbox on my deck. The cuttings were clipped into segments that fit into my food processor. The processed mint is now on two trays on the kitchen counters. I’ll stir them several times a day until the mint is thoroughly dry ---- ready to use with black tea. There will be another harvest before the end of the season - enough mint to use now and last through the winter.

While I had the food processor out, I decided to make orange zest with the six oranges in the refrigerator and freeze the orange sections. During really hot weather, frozen orange sections are wonderful in smoothies so this was a good plan for the fruit and the zest. Only the white part of the orange peel ended up in the compost. I used a sharp knife to cut the outermost peel from the oranges- making long curls into the bowl of the food processor.

This is the first time there has been a bit of mint with the orange zest. I’ll enjoy that!

The Joys of Mint Gardening

I have several different kinds of mint growing on pots on my deck: spearmint mint, chocolate mint and citrus mint. My largest patch is in the 20+ year old turtle sand box. One of the eyes is partially missing to the turtle always looks sleepy to me. It is a good size for a mint garden and it pleases me that the old sandbox is still useful. 

Mint is very easy to grow….maybe too easy. It will spread via runners to fill its space and beyond. It often spreads beyond its bed. That is why I like it in a container. From one little plant - it will grow enough to crownd out weeds within a very short period of time. 

Another reason I like mint in a container on the deck, is its proximity to my kitchen. I can easily go out and cut a couple of sprigs to add to a smoothie or salad. Mint makes so many other foods taste even better. And it is just like an additional small serving of green veggie in terms of vitamins and minerals!