Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Snow, death
Snow today! Expect pictures soon. But luckily for you, dear reader, no drawings or paintings. Yet.
My art teacher thought I was making good progress and recommended I keep up my practice with different objects around the house. I proposed that I could go outside and draw a rock wall, or an oak tree. The look of shock and horror on her face told me all I needed. Since I don't look even as bright as I actually am, she spelled it out for me, "Oh. My, no. No. Don't try that yet. You will find it very frustrating." So, still life only, still.
It hasn't been above freezing here for over 72 hours and the low has been 15 or so. I don't think many of my vegetables or perennials were meant for this. It will be interestingly sad to see what dies.
My art teacher thought I was making good progress and recommended I keep up my practice with different objects around the house. I proposed that I could go outside and draw a rock wall, or an oak tree. The look of shock and horror on her face told me all I needed. Since I don't look even as bright as I actually am, she spelled it out for me, "Oh. My, no. No. Don't try that yet. You will find it very frustrating." So, still life only, still.
It hasn't been above freezing here for over 72 hours and the low has been 15 or so. I don't think many of my vegetables or perennials were meant for this. It will be interestingly sad to see what dies.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
All the onions are in and I still don't know what kind they are. I think they are Southern Belle Red, 1015 (Sweet Grano) and White Bermuda. I guess I didn't tag them at the nursery. I put them in little groups of 3-9 wherever two requirements were met - a space in my cottage garden that needed some greening up and a space in my cottage garden I could reach without much difficulty. This may come as a surprise to non-gardeners, but growing things can be hard work. I wore my construction worker knee pads to keep the whining to a minimum, but planting things is still stoop labor. Lots of up and downs and kneeling, kind of like going to mass but without (insert way too easy to make catholic joke here).
The Elder (daughter) helped me plant every onion. She was very excited to get started, but surprised me how she stuck with it. I don't think I am getting more interesting or maturing, so it must be her growing up. At each planting spot, I would scrape away the mulch and she would till the designated area (sort of), then I'd add compost and fertilizer and till again and then she'd help me with the planting. It occurred to me that onions are easy plants to learn on, bigger than seed and less cumbersome than container plants. I would help start the holes and my daughter quickly learned how to place the onion right side down, or up as it were, and firm the soil around each plant. It took me twice as long as doing it myself. Owing to my own impatience and me being in a hurry to accomplish all my afternoon chores, it also took me twice as long as necessary to realize what a good time I was having and how much more important it is to be a good father than to be a good gardener. Maybe one day I'll be both.
The Elder did see the reasoning behind my knee pads. Her knees would get sore and she would finish each planting by sitting sideways on the rock borders around the beds, an option no longer available to me since about the time I was three. She thought that next time we planted, I could probably buy her knee pads too, but probably smaller. And probably pink.
The Elder (daughter) helped me plant every onion. She was very excited to get started, but surprised me how she stuck with it. I don't think I am getting more interesting or maturing, so it must be her growing up. At each planting spot, I would scrape away the mulch and she would till the designated area (sort of), then I'd add compost and fertilizer and till again and then she'd help me with the planting. It occurred to me that onions are easy plants to learn on, bigger than seed and less cumbersome than container plants. I would help start the holes and my daughter quickly learned how to place the onion right side down, or up as it were, and firm the soil around each plant. It took me twice as long as doing it myself. Owing to my own impatience and me being in a hurry to accomplish all my afternoon chores, it also took me twice as long as necessary to realize what a good time I was having and how much more important it is to be a good father than to be a good gardener. Maybe one day I'll be both.
The Elder did see the reasoning behind my knee pads. Her knees would get sore and she would finish each planting by sitting sideways on the rock borders around the beds, an option no longer available to me since about the time I was three. She thought that next time we planted, I could probably buy her knee pads too, but probably smaller. And probably pink.
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