A Slow Start...

So, yeah. There is definitely potting soil all over the kitchen (hubby redeemed himself by getting a DEAL on the potting mix I use, and bringing home three large bags!), but it's not because there've been any all night wintersowing marathons happening. I've sown one jug. Ha! An even that one is still sitting inside, because I can't find the duct tape. Sigh.

I am happy about jug "1-09", though. It contains seeds from the sweet gum tree that was growing near Dad's grave. I picked up a few of the gumballs after the service, and I really hope for success with them. I should sow a few more jugs with the rest of the seed, and increase my chances.

AAGGGHH!!!!!

I love my husband, I really do.

But AAARRGGHHH!!!

I was prepared to admit that I didn't get any seeds sown last night. But I was going to redeem myself - I'd found an empty water jug while cleaning the kitchen, and did some cutting and hole-poking. Plus, I emptied one side of the sink, so I would have room to work.

Feeling good, I was. Went out to the front porch to get some potting mix out of the bin I keep there...noting how nice and dark the front flower bed looked, must be the rain...can you see where this is going?

Hubby EMPTIED the bin!!!!! All of it! I had combined leftovers and bags full from last year, trying to keep things more neat...

I know he was just trying to make things look nicer. He pulled out all the dead weeds that were in front of the porch, and made the bed look nice and smooth. By pouring all of my supply on the ground.

I should weep, but really this will make me get moving and take care of some things in town that I've been putting off for a while.

Let's pray (for hubby's sake) that our Mal-Wart has potting mix left from last year, and that it doesn't weigh 300 pounds from sitting out in the rain.

/vent

Funny how I am suddenly convinced that the lack of Miracle-Gro is the only thing keeping me from a marathon sowing session. It's not like this suddenly happened this morning. It only feels like I've been deliberately thwarted...right?

Seed Therapy

Just received a seed trade, from the first one I've done in a while - red yarrow, pink obedient plant, mixed cosmos, purple candytuft, peony poppies, and Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium yezoense), "Purple Rain". I really, REALLY need to get started with my winter sowing.

Usually, by now, I have a system going: there is potting mix all over the kitchen, milk jugs are prepped and waiting in the sink, and I move from one seed box to another, occasionally making notes in my seed-book, more often losing my pen, or my Sharpie, or the duct tape. Once the fever hits, there's no turning back. Basically, everyone eats off of paper plates until this is over.

I'm still treading water in this pool of resolutions right now. Wanting to make changes and start projects, but wanting to "finish" other things, first.

Seasons don't wait. I will sow some perennials.

Soon.

Tonight!

Rain and rose hips

Today, collected wild rose hips (from single, pink flowers)and ground cherries.

We finally got some rain, so everything is now grey and wet. Other hickory nuts are falling, I need to see if any of them are sweet, and collect them if they are.

I had put a few acorns, from last week's walk with the kids, into a plastic bag, and today one has sent out a radicle! Need to get a few planted. Also need to check for the giant acorns under some large oaks that grow beside the road not far from here. I am always afraid someone will decide to widen our road or cut them down for some other reason.

Camp-out Collections

This weekend, camped out at a friend's, and after staying up all night giggling like teenagers, we enjoyed the day outside. I took a morning walk with my friend's daughter, picking up hickory nuts, acorns (their woods are full of white oaks), and a few hedgeapples.

Gathered seeds from a beautiful maple by their pond, the leaves were simpler, and turning red. Will have to look it up.

I've gone nuts!

Finally, the nuts are falling. I went into the woods today with the kids, and we gathered hickory nuts and acorns from some white oaks. Also seedpods from Eastern redbud and honey locust ("A curvy Ipod!" said the 5yo, when she found one.).

A few of the persimmons are on the ground, but they won't really be ready until late fall.

The first hickory nuts we found were still closed in their hulls, we had to open them. Later, we found the nuts from trees closer to the edge of the woods, higher up a slope, and they were fully opened, the white kernel poking out, or sometimes free on the ground; I wonder if the amount of sunlight they receive affects this. Anyway, we wasted some time opening hulls (I won't use those nuts for seed trades), but they will still taste great, and we had fun gathering and sorting, finding leaves and bugs, mushrooms, a turkey feather, and a fairy house at the base of one of the oak trees.

Hopefully, we'll get more chances to gather, maybe even tomorrow. There are huge amounts of nuts everywhere.

The acorns were mostly wormy or rotted, once we cracked them open. A few good ones, and I even tasted a couple, to see how bitter they were. Some of the nutmeats weren't too bad, and the texture reminded me of a cross between other nuts I've had, and a raw potato. If we find enough good ones, we'll leach out the tannin, and try to make acorn flour.

Noticed today that the rose hips in the yard are turning, gathered a ripe one at the baseball park yesterday, looked like a Knockout type rose? Will have to check. The plants were loaded with hips.

Berries

Today, berries from flowering dogwood in town, also have yew berries. Need to research both.