Early May gardening...

It's been a bit of a roller coaster spring weather-wise.  I could be misremembering, but it seems like it was in the 80's in late March and parts of April.  And then April ended and May came in like the beginning of autumn.  We've had lots of rain and cool weather - for which I am truly thankful.  

The garden saw a planting in early April of radishes, kohlrabi and cabbage, and so far only the cabbage seems a lost cause.  The kohlrabi isn't looking great, but it has finally sprouted through the soil, so maybe there will be a few to harvest? And then, a few weeks ago, sugar snap peas were planted, and they are looking beautiful, but haven't grown much since it cooled down again.  I do see little vines, though, so hopefully they'll soon be climbing their trellises.  If I ever planted peas before, it's been too long ago for me to remember.  They feel like an experiment.  

Last year I enlarged the garden with cardboard, and after weeding the clover that overtook that new area during the warm early spring, I decided to try growing sweet corn in that space.

I only started to doubt the wisdom of that idea after I told Greg what I'd planted (thinking he'd be excited) and he proclaimed, "The raccoons are going to enjoy it!"

So, I've decided to consider sweet corn an experiment too.  

I'm just hoping the racoons don't humiliate me by taking the stalks down to the ground and creating a mess when they discover the tasty ears of corn.

While waiting for the garden to dry out again after several rains this week, I took stock of what else is growing that has needed little attention from me up to this point...

Cherries are coming on - I imagine we'll be enjoying a cherry cobbler in a few weeks.

And the garlic I planted in the full sun amongst the strawberry plants are looking glorious:

Another view (because I can't help myself):

And today I was shocked to discover ripening strawberries - just days away from picking:

It's only the first full week of May, right?  

Unfortunately, at least one bird has discovered the strawberries too.  I guess spikey garlic leaves waving overhead in the breeze isn't enough of a deterrent.

And this little guy (and his three siblings) interrupted my thistle pulling in the walking onion patch:

After recovering my composure (after screaming when the first bunny jumped out right at my feet), I went back to pulling weeds, and accidentally disturbed the nest:

I haven't seen the little things for a week now. They hadn't (and still haven't) disturbed my peas, so I'm wondering if they were even weaned yet.  I'm tempted to worry about them, but then I remember the rascals will be trying to eat the new green been plants that will soon be sprouting.

My neighbor, who grows flowers, hopes the bunnies survived.  As a vegetable grower, I'm ambivalent.

And that is spring here on our little near-acre plot.  I'm eager to plant more things, but the upcoming temperatures don't look like there's any reason to be in a hurry about it.

How is May coming on in your corner of the world?

Visions of growing things dance in my head...

Every once a while in central Indiana we get to experience a few amazingly warm days during the winter months.  Yesterday, it reached 70℉, and today may see a high of 65 before the rains and winds blow in more seasonably cold weather for the next week of days.  

I celebrated this spring-like weather by sitting myself in the sun and planting some seeds in pots.  Just whatever struck my fancy.

Mostly, lettuces and other leafy greens.  And a few herbs.  And kohlrabi - which is possibly a ridiculous thing to plant in a pot, but I did it anyway.

I also moved my hibiscus plants (above) into the sunroom, and fertilized them. If these perk up, I will repot them to a larger planter outside when the temperatures have stabilized.  These were bought on clearance last summer. Years ago, I had great success with clearanced hibiscus - keeping them for a couple of summers.  I'm hoping I can get at least another summer out of these.

And the amaryllis (above) that my neighbor gave me last spring is producing some growth, so it got a side dressing of new soil and some fertilizer.  Since Easter is early this year (at least in my mind it is) I might be a tad late getting this back in the sun if I hope for a bloom by then.  I'm not overly hoping.  I'll just be thrilled if it blooms again, given my complete neglect of it since its blooms died off last spring.

We'll see if anything above grows.  Just planting and tending these things made me happy yesterday. And then dinner and good discussion with youngest son made my day complete.  The snow here has finally melted. Birds are singing. Sandhill cranes are flying overhead with their distinct call.  

Spring is coming! 

Spring garden update...

Sitting in our home office this morning I noticed movement far out in the back yard.  

Swapping out my computer glasses for my regular glasses, I could see it was two rabbits chasing each other in and out of the garden.  I am reminded that a couple of days ago, I found half of my green bean seedlings were nibbled off.  I imagine now they are finishing off the rest. Yesterday I planted new seeds to replace the chewed off seedlings, and as soon as it's dry enough, I'll replant more, if needed.  And then spread some bone meal to try to deter the voracious bunnies.

Spring has been beautiful here - rainy and lush.  Some hot days in the mix, but mostly, it's been pleasant.  The only problem I'm encountering is because of so much rain, I can't finish getting my garden put in.  Greg reminds me it's still early, but somehow I feel behind.  Ah well, I don't control the weather, and even though it's 60 degrees outside today, and perfect for planting, the heavy rain last night has undoubtedly saturated the ground again.  A commitment tomorrow means Thursday afternoon/evening and Friday are my best opportunities to plant more seeds before it rains again.  Hopefully, the soil will dry out enough to plant, but still be soft enough to easily remove weeds that are proliferating out there. 

Meanwhile, I've given over the asparagus patch to fern for the rest of the spring and summer.  It was a pitiful harvest, but I'm going to try some suggestions I've found online and in comments some of you have left to see if this patch can produce some healthier looking spears next year. I do wonder if it's just growing old...

Strawberry picking started this week.  It seems early, but I'm excited that the patch is producing nicely after thinning it out last autumn.  

Some of the strawberries get taken out daily by critters, but I still pick enough that for the previous two springs, and again this spring, I've decided I preferred sharing over netting the plants - and unnetting, and re-netting every other day or so until the plants finish producing.

The sour cherries are starting to ripen, and itty bitty peaches are appearing, so it's time to get serious about clearing out the frozen fruit again.  In spite of giving away fresh strawberries, eating them to our hearts' content, and baking for others, there is still plenty to freeze.  Add sour cherries and peaches, and we can never seem to manage to use up all the frozen fruit I freeze before the next fruit season is upon us.  That said, I haven't bought frozen fruit for a few years now, so there is that!  Even though I am not a big fruit eater, thinking we'll possibly live long enough to have to move from here someday, I imagine I will miss the easy, and essentially free, fruit.

While I wait for the garden soil to dry out, I'm making plans for what else to plant.

I'm not going to buy and transplant so many tomato plants this year, or even peppers, but green beans, cucumbers, zucchini and yellow squash are on the docket, and I'm imaging growing some fun pumpkins and a few flowers again.  Maybe even watermelon.  Though, I'm not sure the garden is big enough for more than one or two vining plants (that need ground space).  And while last autumn I told myself I wanted to till up some more earth to enlarge the garden, I'm not so sure about that at this point.  For now, it's pleasant to imagine summer's harvest, knowing I'll accept whatever limitations (or even failures) present themselves.  Whatever grows that we can eat and share - it's all good.

To close, the irises have faded since the weekend, and I'm so glad I snapped some pictures:

Spring...

 

I didn't keep close track of online weather maps this week, but I'm thinking most of the Midwest saw spring storms on Wednesday.  High temperatures here made for instability in the weather when the winds finally blew in the rain. Tornadoes were sighted all around the Indianapolis area, and south of us, but on our little spot on the map we woke up yesterday morning to a freshly washed landscape and hardly any tree debris on the ground.

Bradford Pear blossoms

While the forecast predicts a welcomed cool down though most of next week, it is undeniably spring here.  White-blossomed Bradford Pear (which is, I'm sad to say, an invasive at this point) now dot the landscape along the highways.  Sprinkled amongst them are redbud trees, and all kinds of other trees just beginning to leaf out.  

Everything here is growing fast! Sedum, daylilies, irises, clematis, daffodils, forsythia, garlic, onions...  

Sedum, last week🠝 and today🠟

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Daylilies a week ago🠝 and today🠟

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Iris growth a week ago🠝

Irises today🠟

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This Clematis will soon be looking gorgeous.

Forsythia's bloom is about finished, though.

As are the daffodils, I suspect.

Garlic planted in the fall is looking good!

And walking onions planted from the 

bulbils of last year's onions are thriving.

And it looks like we'll have peaches again this year!

Once this rain is over (early next week) I plan to uncover the strawberry plants and take stock of that situation.  I am eager to see if my thinning them out last autumn will have an impact on their production and strawberry size in a couple of months.

I'm not quite ready to throw myself into spring's outdoor work, but hopefully that's just inertia tugging at me to be lazy.  I still have time to think about it. With all the rain we've had, it will take a while for the soil to dry enough to work it, anyway.

Meanwhile, with more consistently warmer temps, I've set myself up again in the sunroom to stitch on my never-ending cross stitch sampler.  It's a great front-row seat for the annual spring show accompanied by birdsong.

April showers and a Moorland Blanket...

I'm thinking most of Indiana is seeing showers and storms usher in the month of April.  After last night's storm passed through, and as we wait for more over the next couple of days, there is a welcome cleanness to the air.  And the grass is suddenly and brilliantly verdant.  In the city park, where a creek cuts through in several directions, spring flooding is a pretty normal sight.  

Never mind for a moment how clean the air seems.  There's a lot of mud in that water, and every spring I imagine how tedious, and hopefully satisfying, it must be to clean up the mess. Every spring when I see this park under water, I think through how the clean-up would be accomplished - as if I had to do it myself. 

I remember a couple of years ago walking through the park on a beautiful spring day and seeing the grounds keepers working hard shoveling and raking mulch on all the unpaved walking places and around all the trees and bushes. The very next day we got a heavy rain and the park flooded like pictured above.  I imagined how discouraging the whole thing must have been to all the workers who had made it beautiful and ready for the public to enjoy.  But when I took a walk soon after the water receded, there they were - seemingly fine, working at it again.  I suppose it's all in a day's work, and that means a paycheck, so maybe it wasn't as discouraging to them as I thought it should be.

As long as no one is hurt, and property damage is minimal, these heavy spring rains and floods feel like little more than a rite of passage each spring in the Midwest (or at least, that's how I experience it).  And the ground moisture, even a bit of flooding this early, is welcome for all growing things. 

That said, our county (and our little town) did experience a devastating flood in June of 2008.  While our personal misfortune in that flood seemed minor compared to others' losses, our house at the time took on some water in the half basement family room.  The account of that experience is here, here, here, and here.  Even our limited damage was an expensive mess to clean up and repair.  Something like that leaves its mark, to be sure.  Now, when the rains come down and the floods come up, we breathe a sigh of relief when the storms pass and our house remains high and dry.

The sedum are looking lush

I seem to remember that last year I wanted to transplant some of these sedum plants to the sunny side of the house come spring - just to see if the flowers would be a different shade, or vividness, or something like that.  Now that spring is here, this seems like a lot of unnecessary work.  I hate that I'm questioning my strength and energy.  If not this spring, perhaps another...

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On a different note, I'm realizing I never posted a finished blanket I crocheted a while back.  It's a baby or toddler size Moorland Blanket, pattern by Lucy at Attic 21. 

It's an easy pattern that provides many opportunities for playing with colors.  I chose the safe route of staying (somewhat) in the same color family. 

Doing a rough (but probably close) estimate on the amount of yarn I used,  I figured this blanket took about 3 1/2 skeins worth of worsted weight yarn that comes in 355 yards/skein.  Or 1,274 yards total - approximately.   That information is probably not that interesting to you, but for me, who's currently on a quest to work through yarn, every yard counts! 

Happy April!

Current knee diagnosis...

I really thought I was going to get in here sooner to report on my doctor's appointment last Friday, because after the appointment I felt pretty good about things.  For example, according to the x-ray I only have mild knee arthritis (and it would not be causing this kind of pain), and my overall leg strength is good I'm told.  And the best part - the doctor believes physical therapy will resolve this present issue.  

It all seemed like such good news that I didn't complain when the doctor said he didn't want to give me a cortisone shot.  I hadn't even asked for one yet when he told me this.  I'm not sure I had a choice in the matter, but with all the good news I wasn't too troubled about him not offering it.  But when the pain flared up again later that evening, and by that time I knew a PT consultation was going to be a week and a half away, I started to feel frustrated and resentful that all he suggested for pain relief was Ibuprofen or Aleve.  They don't even take the edge off when the pain is really bad.  I've mostly stopped taking anything altogether, it's that unhelpful.

I'm not a big medicine taker, but I've been frustrated several times now (after two surgeries last year and now this) when I've been in serious pain and all that is offered is less than effective doses of prescription and OTC pain medicine.  I just don't understand how some people who are looking for a "fix" can seemingly easily get their hands on pain medicine through illicit means, and someone who is honest, and experiencing real and terrible pain, can't get the medicine that might help them endure more easily.  It's maddening to me.  It's depressing and discouraging.

Insert deep sigh of exasperation here.

Having gotten that off my chest, I guess I'm coping okay.  Discouraged and depressed at times, but okay I guess.  Do I have a choice?

The diagnosis I was given by the doctor is patellofemoral pain syndrome.  It's actually pretty common I now understand and PT should help resolve it.  Having gone online to find advice on how to cope with the pain and help it heal (since I'm left to my own devices until PT can begin), I'm now thinking there is another possible issue that may be causing my pain.  The good news is PT should still help if my issue is something different from what the doctor diagnosed, or if I have more than one thing going on (which is entirely possible, and maybe probable).  

Edited later to add:  At my first PT consultation I was also diagnosed with pez anserine bursitis.  I know, it's a funny name, and if you look it up and see what it means (and why it got its name) you'll think it's even funnier.   Before PT, as I was looking through videos for exercises to help what the doctor  told me I was dealing with, I found this condition and thought it better described my pain than the doctor's diagnosis did.  The good news is PT should help it, and will hopefully help me not get this aggravating condition again, or have the tools to get better if it does flare up again.

So I'm prescribed 6 weeks of PT (to begin 4 weeks into my present struggle), and if that doesn't resolve the pain, there will be next steps.  While I've grown frustrated with the medical establishment (for reasons beyond not getting adequate pain relief), I do encourage anyone who's like me - someone who puts off getting something like this checked out - to get it checked out.  The thing that hurts might just be fixable.  I've dealt with this knee for over a year now, and after I've read how these kinds of issues can end up creating chronic problems, I do wish I hadn't put off seeking help for so long.  Therapy is going to be a bit of a drag, but I'm hanging onto hope that soon I'll be headed in a direction that will provide more lasting relief than I can get on my own.

Pain aside, I had some nice distractions in the days following my doctor's appointment.  Last weekend held a birthday celebration for middle son (which saw me limping, but very happy to have everyone together), and Monday I actually felt good enough to drive a bit of a distance to visit a friend. I'm so glad I did.  It was a beautiful day to sit out on her deck and take in the view of the woods behind her house.  The scenery and the laughter shared over anything and everything was very good medicine.  Then over the rest of this week, the pain has been off and on, sometimes causing me to sit with my legs up, interspersed with periods of activity like cooking and laundry mostly.  This whole experience has been up and down, both physically and emotionally.  

At the risk of sounding downright whiney (if I haven't already), this waiting time is very hard. I just want to feel all better already.  I want to do some yard work or clean windows, something outside when the days are beautiful.  And we've had so many beautiful days this late winter.  I want to take long walks - both for the physical exercise, and for the emotional benefit walking would be.  And getting a full night's sleep sounds gloriously indulgent, yet impossible.  I'm trying to find ways to manage this waiting time so that discouragement is held at bay.

One of the things I've been humoring myself with is what some call zen-doodling.  Others call it meditative or slow drawing.  I used a gridded drawing like these to make a cover for a birthday card for middle son:

And I'm a little obsessed with this fun wave pattern:

Yesterday, I took another stroll around the yard and I see more evidence of spring:

and a mole, I suspect:

Glad to have seen the hole early.  Hub has found moles pretty easy to get rid of once we discover their presence.  We only had one or two last year and he was able to catch it (or them) with a contraption a neighbor loaned us.  It may be time to buy one of these for ourselves.  It looks wretched (and it is for the poor mole), but it does work.

That's all for me this week, I think.   I don't plan to go on again about my knee until I'm either improving, or have to face a different plan.  I hope you're doing well - physically, mentally, spiritually.   Wherever you are, I hope you stay safe, warm and dry in this unpredictable, changing late winter weather!

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More spring...

The backside of April is upon us, and I'm feeling behinder and behinder.  Or maybe I'm just being impatient. I've been wanting to plant some seeds in the garden for weeks now.  

While the cool weather and spring rains are welcome, they have made it difficult to get outside much and take care of things.  The weeds are flourishing!  Maybe I'll make some serious progress on them this weekend as it's supposed to be sunny and in the 80's.  A little hot for my liking in April, but there's a promise of more cool weather next week, so I'm not going to complain.  Much.  

I've been busy and distracted the last couple of weeks, but most of it isn't really blog fodder. We did celebrate four birthdays earlier this month (for which I have no pictures - I get so little cooperation when I try, I've all but given up).  Our birthday celebrations anymore generally include eating out at a restaurant of the birthday kid's choice, followed by games at someone's home.  It was a couple of weeks ago already that we went to a Sushi Club for all-you-can-eat sushi, and then back to two sons' apartment to play the new-to-us game WAVELENGTH.  A fun game that gives lots of opportunity for making conversation.  

While it's more interesting than it may appear, here's a demo of WAVELENGTH in case anyone is curious:

And now I hope I don't bore you with more pictures of spring. Though I must warn you, this surely won't be the last such post.  This week we turned a corner into it being downright beautiful here.  While there are spots on this property that need some serious attention to landscaping, I'll share the areas that I'm taking special pleasure in right now.  

It was in the 60's and gorgeous on Wednesday.  Between doing some weeding and cleaning up most of the straw mulch from the strawberry bed above, and rain storms later in the evening, I visited my friends Jack and Ruth (Ruth, some will recall, is a woman I provided companion care for for several years.  She is in a nursing home now).  I don't think Ruth knows who I am anymore, but she is just as sweet and welcoming as ever.  Visits these days give me opportunity to get to know Jack more.  These two are a treasure.

But back to the strawberries.  Caring for a strawberry bed is a totally new experience for me.   So far, it's not been hard, and best of all -  they're surviving!  Looking forward to having some to share.

Our Asparagus patch is in the foreground above.   Notice some spears tall enough to harvest?  They'll show up again later.   The larger garden area is in the background.  I plan to remove those onions by sometime next week, and plant some vining things that (hopefully) will make use of the trellis.  I have plans to try pickling some cucumbers this summer.

My plant ID app tells me that irises are growing in this mess of weeds beside the detached garage above.  I started weeding this area late Wednesday afternoon, and now I have visions of some additional flowers planted in this bed.  Maybe some old fashioned zinnias or sunflowers.  Or both!

These rose bushes are in serious need of some trimming, I think.  They were beautiful when we moved in last November.  Figuring these out will be a new experience, too.   YouTube is getting me brave enough to start making some cuts soon.   

It's impossible for me to tire of watching the birds play in the Redbud tree in bloom just outside our den window. 

They all take turns flitting from the Redbud tree to the birdfeeders.

And this Japanese Quince Shrub came into glorious full bloom this week:

I don't know why my cell phone wants to turn it into something that looks like an impressionist painting, but it's all I have for now.  Hopefully, I can get some better pictures of the sweet flowers on this bush with my DSLR before they've finished their run.

And, I was almost giddy when my plant ID app identified two smallish dogwood trees flanking this Japanese Quince bush.  They are just beginning to bud out.  Pictures of those will follow in a week or two, I imagine.  Edited to add:  Turns out the trees that flank this Japanese Quince are not dogwood, but one is a peach and the other a sour cherry.  No complaints about either!

My heart just swells with how pretty things are looking right now.  Even the weeds can't diminish the pleasure all these flowering trees and bushes are bringing this spring.

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Continuing with the spirit of "New Things",  I must continue just a bit more discussing asparagus. 

I had my first harvest!  

And now I know mid-late April is when they are likely to make their appearance in our backyard.

There were only about eight or nine spears tall enough to harvest, but that was just enough to enjoy them one evening earlier this week.  They are definitely better than anything I've bought in the grocery.  Brighter tasting, very crisp.  I even ate one fresh, rinsed off, but without cooking.  I prefer them cooked a tad, but raw was totally edible.

Stirred in some olive or avocado oil (I don't remember), sprinkled with sea salt and roasted in the air fryer/toaster oven for just a few minutes, these were delish!  And now I can't wait for more to grow tall enough to cut.

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I don't think I'm going to keep tallying all my New Things, but I'm still taking note of them.  And gratefully so. I'm finding that noting new things really is something of an act of gratitude.  Especially when all the new things are so lovely...

I hope you have a beautiful weekend!