What a lovely day!
Today was day one of my "weekend" for this week. I took half advantage of the nice weather, but also spent half the time sitting in front of the computer. Tomorrow is supposed to rain, so I'm glad I did what I did today and that I can spend day two of the weekend in the kitchen--cleaning, baking bread, and replenishing the pizza crust coffers. I do need to get to the store at some point though because I am simultaneously out of garlic and salad greens. One of my body's reactions to spring weather is wanting SALAD ALL THE TIME. I got myself a bottle of some pretty kick ass organic red wine vinegar at Whole Foods last week (it was on discontinued sale--too bad as it's delish!) and have been faithfully making my own oil and vinegar dressings, or lemon and olive oil. There's still a bottle of ranch in the fridge if I feel like I really need to go there, but the fresh light oil and vin dressing has been doing me right. Tonight tho---no salad. I'm a little freaked out about it.
So, this morning, I got up around 8am and played on the computer a little bit, then had some puffed wheat and coffee. After breakfast I came back to the computer and got to work doing some press for the D@24 show. I wrote a press release and sent it to the local papers--nothing yet, but hopefully somebody will want to write a little something about the show/record. I don't think I mentioned here that I cancelled our trip to Boston for Easter Weekend---there was no possibility of a Saturday show, and I just didn't feel good about driving all that way to play 25 minutes or so at a punk rock showcase. So our actual debut will be at the pub on April 17th. Though apparently Alan and Ernie have decided to go to Boston and play the showcase show as an accoustic duo. That's funny. It's a lot easier for them to get to Boston from NYC/Philly than it is for us to get there from Pgh. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Pittsburgh show, and then we got to Erie and play on Saturday at the Beer Mug. Just like the old days.
After doing the press, I threw some laundry in, and then I got myself showered and ready to greet the out of doors. I took a nice walk to Home Depot for some organic potting mix for seedling starts. Was hoping to find a nice strawberry pot, but the only ones they have come with a "kit" and I don't need all that business. Apparently Big Lots has them for cheap. Hopefully we can check that out sometime this weekend.
I got the newest issue of Natural Home because I am magazine fetishist, and then I picked up some moonflower seeds. My plan is to plant morning glories and moonflowers in the planter along the front of the porch and let them twine up through the rails. That should be nice. I really hope the moonflowers will grow--I think they are so lovely but I'm worried that it might get too cold? They're basically a tropical, right? Well, we'll see what happens.
Walked home and had some curry for lunch and then I got started with the seed starting project. At some point yesterday I had the BRILLIANT realization that our attic has enormous south facing windows with big wide ledges. Why it took a year and a half for me to realize this I can't tell you, but rest assured it was a big deal when I did. I moved a short shelving unit in front of one of the windows and now it is a little greenhouse, overseen by my light up alien. It's great. I cut up all the egg cartons we've been saving and filled them with potting soil, and then filled up all the little pots I saved from last year. I started a whole bunch of seeds I saved from last year---mostly peppers of various kinds, some seeds from our yellow doll watermelon from last year, and some pumpkin and squash. Then I broke into the packets I ordered from Territorial--a couple kinds of basil, brussels sprouts, kobocha squash, and then some really old cherry tomato seeds that I don't have much hope for but who knows, right? No harm in trying. I also started some celery and scallion seeds I got from Lotus Foods in the Strip. It was a total weird impulse purchase, but I thought I might as well give it a whirl. Everything I've read suggests that trying to grow celery in Pittsburgh is a losing battle. My motto for the garden is to try everything and not get too disappointed. I'm getting started about three months earlier than last year, and last year was far from a total bust, so I'm confident it will be a beautiful and bountiful garden.
The little babies are safely installed in their upstairs greenhouse. It reminds me of VC Andrews a little bit. Ha.
I planted some culinary herbs (chives, parsley, dill, cilantro) in little pots for the south facing kitchen window, and I have a nice sized rosemary plant growing there too. I think I want to put it in the garden SOMEWHERE so it can become a giant woody perennial bush, but I'm not sure where just yet. Rebby is talking seriously about getting the nuisance trees removed this year before they get too many leaves, and that's going to totally change the whole landscape. We could even plant fruit trees! Home Depot has some black cherry and dwarf peach and plum trees that call my name every time I walk by. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Right now I am going to keep my rosemary in the kitchen. And hold off on trying to establish an asparagus patch from seeds I got at Lotus. That seems to me just like laughing in the face of God, but again....why not? The seed pack was only a dollar. I want to find a nice permanant spot for them though just in case they do actually grow and then I can be a SPARGEL FARMER! hee hee hee.
It was about 5pm by the time I finishd the seedling project, and still plenty light for getting some things in the ground outside. I went out and gathered some sticks to make garden markers, which I did while listening to John Cougar Mellencamp on Fresh Air. His voice has gotten super gravelly to the point where he sounds almost Kris Kristoffersonish. He's apparently got a new album all about spiritual enlightenment that I want to check out. I finished my markers and drank a beer and then got out there in the garden in my overalls and green crocs. The raised bed is just the right height for me to kneel beside it and reach all the way to the middle--cool! The soil was all light and airy and super easy to dig with just my fingers. It was awesome. I put in beets, arugula, carrots, radishes, chard, cabbage, drunken woman frizzy headed leaf lettuce (just for the name, right?) a mesclun mix, daikon radish, spinach, and snap peas. I think that's it! In May we get to plant kale, collards, broccoli, cucumbers, CORN! beans, patty pan squash, mustard, shallots, onions, bok choy, turnips, and some herbs. And then at the end of may, the seedlings! We're going to just get some tomato plants from the nice lesbians at Garden Dreams rather than try to start our own---theirs are so nice and they have tons of heirloom varieties. I am hoping to get some more interesting mints too.
I'm so excited about growing our own food.
We've got some potatoes sprouting under the cabinet that I think I will just cut up and throw in the middle of the raised bed---I sort of inadvertently created a little hill in the middle and it would be a perfect place to grow potatoes, I think. Sweet potatoes too.
I've got some flowers on the horizon too---sunflowers, of course, and hopefully some echinacea, marigolds, the morning glories and moonflowers and nasturtiums, and some bergamot. I also have a packet of honeybee attracting mix that's left from last year that I'd like to scatter somewhere. My ultimate fantasy is to dig out the ugly shrubbery in the planter at the very front of the house (next to the sidewalk) and replace it with some nice sweetheart rose bushes. That's a far off project though.
Once the trees come out we'll have to rethink everything. And I've got a handmade garden bench coming sometime this summer too I need to plan for! I wish I had more time.
Speaking of time, it's about time I got to bed. And for the record, I wrote this entry while voluntarily listening to John Coltrane--Soultrane, specifically. I went on a radical departure downloading spree on emusic this morning and ended up with John Coltrane, Gregory Isaacs, and Horace Andy. I'm diggin it.
Today was day one of my "weekend" for this week. I took half advantage of the nice weather, but also spent half the time sitting in front of the computer. Tomorrow is supposed to rain, so I'm glad I did what I did today and that I can spend day two of the weekend in the kitchen--cleaning, baking bread, and replenishing the pizza crust coffers. I do need to get to the store at some point though because I am simultaneously out of garlic and salad greens. One of my body's reactions to spring weather is wanting SALAD ALL THE TIME. I got myself a bottle of some pretty kick ass organic red wine vinegar at Whole Foods last week (it was on discontinued sale--too bad as it's delish!) and have been faithfully making my own oil and vinegar dressings, or lemon and olive oil. There's still a bottle of ranch in the fridge if I feel like I really need to go there, but the fresh light oil and vin dressing has been doing me right. Tonight tho---no salad. I'm a little freaked out about it.
So, this morning, I got up around 8am and played on the computer a little bit, then had some puffed wheat and coffee. After breakfast I came back to the computer and got to work doing some press for the D@24 show. I wrote a press release and sent it to the local papers--nothing yet, but hopefully somebody will want to write a little something about the show/record. I don't think I mentioned here that I cancelled our trip to Boston for Easter Weekend---there was no possibility of a Saturday show, and I just didn't feel good about driving all that way to play 25 minutes or so at a punk rock showcase. So our actual debut will be at the pub on April 17th. Though apparently Alan and Ernie have decided to go to Boston and play the showcase show as an accoustic duo. That's funny. It's a lot easier for them to get to Boston from NYC/Philly than it is for us to get there from Pgh. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Pittsburgh show, and then we got to Erie and play on Saturday at the Beer Mug. Just like the old days.
After doing the press, I threw some laundry in, and then I got myself showered and ready to greet the out of doors. I took a nice walk to Home Depot for some organic potting mix for seedling starts. Was hoping to find a nice strawberry pot, but the only ones they have come with a "kit" and I don't need all that business. Apparently Big Lots has them for cheap. Hopefully we can check that out sometime this weekend.
I got the newest issue of Natural Home because I am magazine fetishist, and then I picked up some moonflower seeds. My plan is to plant morning glories and moonflowers in the planter along the front of the porch and let them twine up through the rails. That should be nice. I really hope the moonflowers will grow--I think they are so lovely but I'm worried that it might get too cold? They're basically a tropical, right? Well, we'll see what happens.
Walked home and had some curry for lunch and then I got started with the seed starting project. At some point yesterday I had the BRILLIANT realization that our attic has enormous south facing windows with big wide ledges. Why it took a year and a half for me to realize this I can't tell you, but rest assured it was a big deal when I did. I moved a short shelving unit in front of one of the windows and now it is a little greenhouse, overseen by my light up alien. It's great. I cut up all the egg cartons we've been saving and filled them with potting soil, and then filled up all the little pots I saved from last year. I started a whole bunch of seeds I saved from last year---mostly peppers of various kinds, some seeds from our yellow doll watermelon from last year, and some pumpkin and squash. Then I broke into the packets I ordered from Territorial--a couple kinds of basil, brussels sprouts, kobocha squash, and then some really old cherry tomato seeds that I don't have much hope for but who knows, right? No harm in trying. I also started some celery and scallion seeds I got from Lotus Foods in the Strip. It was a total weird impulse purchase, but I thought I might as well give it a whirl. Everything I've read suggests that trying to grow celery in Pittsburgh is a losing battle. My motto for the garden is to try everything and not get too disappointed. I'm getting started about three months earlier than last year, and last year was far from a total bust, so I'm confident it will be a beautiful and bountiful garden.
The little babies are safely installed in their upstairs greenhouse. It reminds me of VC Andrews a little bit. Ha.
I planted some culinary herbs (chives, parsley, dill, cilantro) in little pots for the south facing kitchen window, and I have a nice sized rosemary plant growing there too. I think I want to put it in the garden SOMEWHERE so it can become a giant woody perennial bush, but I'm not sure where just yet. Rebby is talking seriously about getting the nuisance trees removed this year before they get too many leaves, and that's going to totally change the whole landscape. We could even plant fruit trees! Home Depot has some black cherry and dwarf peach and plum trees that call my name every time I walk by. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Right now I am going to keep my rosemary in the kitchen. And hold off on trying to establish an asparagus patch from seeds I got at Lotus. That seems to me just like laughing in the face of God, but again....why not? The seed pack was only a dollar. I want to find a nice permanant spot for them though just in case they do actually grow and then I can be a SPARGEL FARMER! hee hee hee.
It was about 5pm by the time I finishd the seedling project, and still plenty light for getting some things in the ground outside. I went out and gathered some sticks to make garden markers, which I did while listening to John Cougar Mellencamp on Fresh Air. His voice has gotten super gravelly to the point where he sounds almost Kris Kristoffersonish. He's apparently got a new album all about spiritual enlightenment that I want to check out. I finished my markers and drank a beer and then got out there in the garden in my overalls and green crocs. The raised bed is just the right height for me to kneel beside it and reach all the way to the middle--cool! The soil was all light and airy and super easy to dig with just my fingers. It was awesome. I put in beets, arugula, carrots, radishes, chard, cabbage, drunken woman frizzy headed leaf lettuce (just for the name, right?) a mesclun mix, daikon radish, spinach, and snap peas. I think that's it! In May we get to plant kale, collards, broccoli, cucumbers, CORN! beans, patty pan squash, mustard, shallots, onions, bok choy, turnips, and some herbs. And then at the end of may, the seedlings! We're going to just get some tomato plants from the nice lesbians at Garden Dreams rather than try to start our own---theirs are so nice and they have tons of heirloom varieties. I am hoping to get some more interesting mints too.
I'm so excited about growing our own food.
We've got some potatoes sprouting under the cabinet that I think I will just cut up and throw in the middle of the raised bed---I sort of inadvertently created a little hill in the middle and it would be a perfect place to grow potatoes, I think. Sweet potatoes too.
I've got some flowers on the horizon too---sunflowers, of course, and hopefully some echinacea, marigolds, the morning glories and moonflowers and nasturtiums, and some bergamot. I also have a packet of honeybee attracting mix that's left from last year that I'd like to scatter somewhere. My ultimate fantasy is to dig out the ugly shrubbery in the planter at the very front of the house (next to the sidewalk) and replace it with some nice sweetheart rose bushes. That's a far off project though.
Once the trees come out we'll have to rethink everything. And I've got a handmade garden bench coming sometime this summer too I need to plan for! I wish I had more time.
Speaking of time, it's about time I got to bed. And for the record, I wrote this entry while voluntarily listening to John Coltrane--Soultrane, specifically. I went on a radical departure downloading spree on emusic this morning and ended up with John Coltrane, Gregory Isaacs, and Horace Andy. I'm diggin it.
posted by sheryl at 9:39 PM
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