kit and caboodle

Late Bloomer

....to end the long blog hiatus.  It's winter, what can I say? 

 

Early Fall Harvest

Got out in the yard on Sunday and harvested what must surely be the last of the late summer/early fall fruit and veg.  A glut of little tomatoes ready to eat and some big 'uns needing to ripen on the windowsill. Oh, and a whopping cabbage which I thought I'd use as the base of colcannon.  I washed all the leaves pretty carefully (having had more than a few 'organic' experiences with resident insect populations in the past), but obviously didn't do it as well as I thought - we now have a shoebox containing a handful of sleepy caterpillars. They're munching on the choicest leaves from the cabbage, of course, courtesy of the kids. 

And the leaves are finally beginning to fall from the trees whilst the air is constantly chilly. Makes for an invigorating run.  There's a great shot of the angry clouds over Green Lake this afternoon here. 

June! How did that happen?

That was an unintentional blog break but lots to write about! I'll put up a few photos of some of the events these past couple of months:

Much of April was gobbled up by the annual school plant sale - one of our big fundraisers for the kids.  My pal Wendy and I were the organizers for the third year running. A lot of work but fun and rewarding.  We did well, despite the poor economic climate - I guess folks are happy to spend money on plants and we bought heavily into veggies, berry bushes, tomatoes, herbs and a great selection of Northwest Natives.  These plants looked kind of dull next to their flowering neighbors, but do great in yards round here. I added a selection into our teeny yard - mostly sword fern, salal, and flowering currants which do well in the shade.

This wall panel is made up of tightly-packed sedums and was on display when we visited one of our suppliers - it was quite amazing.   Look at these heucheras - they're a pretty good investment. I brought a few three years ago and they've come back each year in all their marmalade glory.

And a couple of scenes from the sale - these lanterns added a festive twist to the event!

And yet more sedums - I love 'em....

Mosaic Monday and the Bloedel Reserve

We had an unexpected day off on Thursday and it wasn't raining for a change, so we opted to get out of the city for a few hours. The islands are always a number one choice, and I'd never been to Bainbridge. Not wanting to drive,  I did a bit of research and came up with a public transportation plan which proved to be cheap and convenient. I was skeptical about travel from the ferry terminal on the island north to the Bloedel Reserve and convinced we'd have to wait around for hours - then I found the Dial-a-Ride service which is AMAZING! For $1.50 each way, we were picked up from the terminal then driven up to Bloedel, and then we chose a time to be at the bus stop for the return trip. I'm sure it's one of those little pockets in the transportation system which has been overlooked by the bean counters (I'm not sure how it's profitable...) - but we were impressed and very thankful!

  

The Reserve itself was just magical. It wasn't overcrowded at all and for much of the time hubbie and I were alone, wandering along mossy paths beneath a canopy of trees.  There's something about the color green which is easy on the eye and calming to the spirit; the moss garden in particular beckoned to me to curl up with a book and take a nap.

 

1. maple tree canopy at bloedel reserve, 2. iris at bloedel reserve, 3. willow and reflection, 4. reflections bloedel reserve, 5. terracotta birdhouse, 6. pink flowers bloedel reserve, 7. weedy plants, 8. foxgloves at bloedel reserve, 9. unfurling ferns bloedel reserve

We stopped in a little waterfront bar for lunch on the way back then boarded the ferry. The crossing was a time to readjust to the prospect of the city again, which was busy and hot. The time out of it all felt like a real investment in ourselves - there was plenty we could or should have been getting on with at home; instead we just sat. I don't think we do enough of that - maybe we've forgotten how to.  I thought of this poem, which is a favorite:

What is this life if, full of care, 

We have no time to stand and stare. 

No time to stand beneath the boughs 

And stare as long as sheep or cows. 

No time to see, when woods we pass, 

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. 

No time to see, in broad daylight, 

Streams full of stars, like skies at night. 

No time to turn at Beauty's glance, 

And watch her feet, how they can dance. 

No time to wait till her mouth can 

Enrich that smile her eyes began. 

A poor life this if, full of care, 

We have no time to stand and stare. 

William Henry Davies

dream gardens and city chickens

Yesterday was another glorious Seattle day - the sunshine this last week has done wonders for blowing the winter cobwebs away. At one point the greyness felt all-consuming and just getting up in the dark every morning was a trial. The kids have all been off school this week, and yesterday I took my two girls off to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show at the Convention Center in downtown Seattle. There was only a bit of foot-dragging on their part and a lot of insistent questioning from #4 about what precisely we would be doing there. I managed to jolly them both along with some enthusiastic arm-waving. They were deeply skeptical so I promised them cake and cocoa. That worked.

Our favorite, hands down, was the section containing the display gardens. They were all, uniformly, AMAZING - doubly so, because they had been created indoors! We were particularly taken by The Backyard Farm, created by Seattle Urban Farm Company.

city chickens, originally uploaded by kit and caboodle.

We love chickens. We lived in the countryside for a time in Devon, UK (which is my favorite place on earth) and came within inches of taking in a bevvy of rescued battery hens. But our move to Seattle intervened, and our yard is a little too small for urban chickens at the moment. But I dream. The omlet would be the way to go, of course, for the true funky chicken.

There were also lots of veggies and the like in containers, which is a particularly attractive option for us because space is at a premium and we do love homegrown fare.  I learned the hard way last year not to plant hundreds of lettuce seeds all at once - we were chewing like rabbits for weeks on end, with only minimal nutritional reward!

container chard, originally uploaded by kit and caboodle.

We escaped from the show after a couple of hours of contented wandering, and I managed not to buy any of those oh-so-useful gardening tools which were omnipresent. We did buy a small succulent because they're so beautiful. And most critically of all - easy to care for.

container gardening, originally uploaded by kit and caboodle.

Pea Patch Saturday

A grey and mild Saturday seemed the ideal day to tackle the Pea Patch jungle - soft soil, and all those weeds came up so easily.

Before we started - oh the guilt. Amidst the pristine patches lurked mine, neglected for just two weeks yet overrun with nasties.

Afterwards? Well, it's amazing what determination can achieve when aided by three kids and a dog who likes lettuce.

We came away grubby-fingered and happy.