Week Two

Thanks to some helpful readers, we've identified the Mystery Bush (actually, bushes plural, since there are two in the yard) as a Pussy Willow. Most of the blossoms have fallen off at this point, but the leaves were catching the setting sun this evening as I sat on the back porch with Dante.

I haven't got much in terms of a story to tell this week, so I'll pretty much just stick with showing some photos.

I did want to mention an article I read in The New York Times by Michael Pollen called "Why Bother?" The article addresses climate change and whether or not it's even worth trying to make small scale changes in our day-to-day lives. In the end, Pollen suggests that the best thing we can each do, the thing that will have the most impact -- even more than swapping lightbulbs and driving a hybrid car -- is to start a garden of our own. It's a pretty interesting article, actually. Pollen has a number of books in print, several looking at food and gardening. I may have to check them out.

Here's a quick excerpt from the article:

"A great many things happen when you plant a vegetable garden, some of them directly related to climate change, others indirect but related nevertheless. Growing food, we forget, comprises the original solar technology: calories produced by means of photosynthesis. ... This is the most-local food you can possibly eat (not to mention the freshest, tastiest and most nutritious), with a carbon footprint so faint that even the New Zealand lamb council dares not challenge it."

So, I guess we're doing our part to help the climate, by trying to grow stuff to make our own pickles, pesto, and pasta sauce. Who knew?

On to the pictures ...

The garden is pretty bare still, since it's still too early to plant most vegetables (and besides, the seedlings aren't available yet), but it still needs weeding and raking. In this photo above you can see the long rows on onions and shallots that go from the bottom left corner to the middle-right side. Above those, the beets and cilantro.

It rained all day yesterday and half of today, so the beets are covered in dirt and muck. They do look like they're growing though, which is exciting.

The chives have blossoms on them already. Like I said last year, supposedly you can use these flowers, once they open, in salads. I've never tried it though. Maybe this year ...

The cilantro's growing, so there's probably some salsa and guacamole in our future.

Can anyone clear up for me whether this is mint, returned for another year, or actually just a weed?

Outside the Garden, Tangent One: Down in the opposite corner of the yard, the blueberry bushes have quite a lot of flowers on them.

Outside the Garden, Tangent Two: On the banking along the garden, the fiddlehead ferns have popped up. These, too, are supposed to be tasty. I think you boil or steam the heads, but I'd have to ask my grandfather for more specifics. He loves them.

Outside the Garden, Tangent Three: These blue flowers have popped up in the yard, which are an indication that it's pretty much time to start mowing. That ought to be a blast.

Outside the Garden, Tangent Four: The flowers on the pear tree in the front yard (which might be the back yard, depending on how you look at things) are in various states of openness.

Outside the Garden, Tangent Five: The lilacs, which run all along the borders of the property, are getting ready to open up.

Outside the Garden, Tangent Six: The hostas on the banking went crazy this week.

Outside the Garden, Tangent Seven: The forsythia are all open.

Outside the Garden, Tangent Eight: The bleeding heart that is tucked in along the house, behind the pussy willow, is opening up.