Odd things this year in the garden. The lavender was in full bloom, just once, now faded. Usually I get two or more flushes of blossom from it. The Korean spice bush hasn't budded, nor the cherry bushes. Morning glory nothing. And here's the sum total of marigolds to date
Anything that's mainly foliage, such as the Italian basil, is doing fine. Interestingly the potatoes aren't flowering, so it remains to be seen if I get a crop.
Photo AC
A mystery of gardening. It's affected perennials and annuals, in both potting soil and garden soil, but not all of them..
Misfits box arrived yesterday
and I noticed when I ordered that they're stocking more bagged, less loose, produce.
The result is more spoilage, recently one bad apple, the rest fine, refunded the entire bag. This time it's one rotten onion, the rest fine, refunded the whole bag.
I can't think this is good business and I wonder if small farmers are struggling to get pickers and bigger concerns are taking over.
Also they're offering more nonorganic produce, and you have to read carefully to see what you're getting. It used to be routine for everything to be organic, mainly loose. I'm guessing supply chain issues, maybe small farmers turning away from what used to be regular crops, maybe weather didn't help. I hope the organic movement isn't being pushed out.
Speaking of food: the buttermilk biscuits yesterday, I noticed came out flatter, crisper than usual. As if there wasn't enough fat in the mix. And I realized I'd forgotten the five tablespoons of olive oil. That's a lot of missing fat.
But here's the interesting bit: the biscuits were crisper, breadier, toasted up lovely, in fact I think I accidentally made a new perfectly good version. Without the walnuts and raisins, they'd go great, toasted, with soup. Or anything, really. So consider this a tip!
Last night I watched a corny old Hollywoody movie, Yours, Mine and Ours, in YouTube. Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball, as widowed people who married, joining their 18 children into one large family.
Usual movie glamor, living fabulously well on his navy pay and her part time nursing, yeah right, clothes alone, some nice outfits, amounting to more than their combined income. Not to mention the house.
The cars were great, in fact the main fun was the accessories, clothes, cars, food. No live screenshots permitted, interestingly. Usually I can get a few. Anyway it was fun to watch uncritically, more like wishful thinking. What outsiders think living in a big family is like. Strictly a work of fiction.
My shoulder is still niggling away, and I broke out this simple apparatus, which I got for Handsome Partner at his physio's suggestion. Cheap, easy to set up and great shoulder exercise, so you don't risk freezing.
Two views. You use the strength of one arm to pull down the handle, which raises the other arm, turn by turn. First facing the door then back to it, different muscles and tendons at work. It's so simple but it did all kinds of good things for HP. So I'll try it.
And I did a few minutes' drawing with the pilot pen. I do like it. Well, each tool I use promptly becomes a favorite, as you may have noticed. I'm a bit faithless on this subject.
And, you know how I wish us all a happy day? It's not meant to nag people who simply can't turn on happy on request.
In fact I would like people, all of us, to accept who we are, not be our own critics. The outside world can offer quite enough criticism without our joining in.
We're all good enough. Let's be nice to ourselves. Particularly women, we're terrific at pointing out our own flaws. Let's take the day off from that!
Anyway, happy day, think blue skies while doing our bit to bring them about.
I'm pretty sure I never saw that movie but I do remember it. Eighteen kids? Sounds like a polygamous family without the sister-wives.
ReplyDeleteWho knows where all the flowers have gone? Not me. Remember me talking about how my mulberry tree didn't fruit this year? My brother said theirs hadn't either. Perhaps there are things that have to happen to trigger fruits and flowers and this year they just did not for certain things. I honestly thought I'd know a lot more by this age when I was younger but that is certainly not the case.
There is a later version of that movie and the same criticism applies. Imagine trying to clothe and feed that size family these days!
ReplyDeleteWomen are great at self criticism, it’s true. Here’s a pledge to be more positive this week! At least!
My Rare One's rosebush does not have a single rose this year. Usually it's loaded by now.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that the sage is taking over the world, completely hiding all the surrounding pots. And that the lavender had only a faint scent this year.
ReplyDeleteThat photo of the marigolds could have been taken in our garden - loads of foliage very little in the way of colour. Have we been feeding our plants too much nitrogen perhaps?
ReplyDeleteA lot of the organic food companies got bought out by the big food corporations over the decades. It's a shame. My neighbor brought me some okra yesterday that he grows.
ReplyDeleteThe weather has been so not normal everything is confused I think. some things bloomed on time, others late.
Since nearly everything growing here is new to me, I didn't know what to expect in terms of flowers and growing patterns of the perennials here. When all the flowers died off and didn't come back, I assumed it was a combination of the heat, drought, and my neglect since I didn't have the ability to bend over through much of June to deadhead things. It feels kind of good to consider that it wasn't my fault. I'm back to thinking (here, at least) it's due to the sudden onset of record heat and drought in early June after a ridiculously wet and chilly spring.
ReplyDeleteHere, cosmos blooming, then nothing. After a week, when temperatures cool, cosmos are flowering again. Weird because they are hot weather tolerant. Plants this year feel like they are drying out too quickly.
ReplyDeleteThe word Happy, I feel, is a marker word, a reminder full of good vibes to comfort calm minds.
T, yes I thought of nitrogen since I'd planted the marigold and morning glory seeds in potting soil, but it doesn't account for the butterfly bushes, long established in the ground. Everything I think of is countered by something else! We've had plenty of bees, very few birds this year.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing that movie as a kid with my mother and her saying it would make a good ad for birth control...
ReplyDeleteI saw that movie long ago. I don't really remember it, only that there was a lot of activity. I will heed your advice, it is wise.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember that the film was based on a true family and Lucille Ball bought the film rights. Both families were Roman Catholic, hence the large number of children.
ReplyDeleteLois Pratt (living in the UK but originally from NJ)
We have that same shoulder pulley (for Mike's rotator cuff issues and my dislocated shoulder, both resolved). It's terrific! Such gentle but effective exercise. Hope it loosens up whatever's causing your shoulder pain.
ReplyDeleteI wondered how long Misfits could maintain the caliber of produce at their rate of growth. Uh oh. Fingers crossed they can regain it AND recruit enough small organic farmers to maintain it.
Here the garden has struggled but the wildflowers are absolutely spectacular.
Loving your drawings in each of your favorite media.
Chris from Boise
I remember that movie well. Beautiful old home, some sibling rivalry, resolved in the end.
ReplyDeleteThat’s odd about the garden.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if supplies will ever return to some semblance of normal..
Our balcony garden is producing loads of leaf lettuce but the tomatoes are pretty much all foliage and very few flowers. So far there's only been 4 or 5 actual tomatoes starting so we're wondering if there will be much of a crop.
ReplyDelete