Christmas Pictures

Our Christmas tree. Most of the day was rain, but it did snow for a few minutes, just for Christmas.

Pictures of Fuzzy changing colors.

10/25/08 Little Fuzzy. He is such a cute baby. 12/6/08 Fuzzy is really helping to decorate the tree. He is not JUST climbing among the plants and up the tree.

12/11/08 Fuzzy and Rudy playing in a cat food sack. Getting bigger and changing colors.

12/25/08 Fuzzy posing for me. Definite change of color.

Zoolights

12/12/08 Point Defiance Zoolights. Notice the rain reflections. Rain pouring down, wind blowning, freezing temperatures... And very, very beautiful lights make braving the cold all worth it.

Mt Pisgah walk

12/7/08 Mom, Matthew, Savannah, and I went for a walk at Mt. Pisgah arboretum. It may have been raining...You know how it can be in Oregon in December.

12/6/08 picture taken while out mushroom hunting

Georgia

Georgia kitty went in to the vet on Friday. She will now just be a kitten all her life, no little kittens for her. She is doing very well, but I am to keep her sedated and in the house for 2 to 3 days. So long because she is a very young kitty-just now 4 months old. After I dropped her off at the vet, I went up to the farm to see the parents. Well the parents were not there. So I drank coffee and called and talked with Shena for a long time on Dad's cheap long distance phone plan. I had a vacation day on Friday so I was able to goof off. Woo Hoo!

Isn't my Fuzzy kitten cute

Just couldn't resist another picture of Fuzzy.

Wanted: Coffee grounds!

Anyone local, please pick up coffee grounds for me at Starbucks if they have them when you are there. (or at any of the coffee places if they have them available.) Coffee is an excellent source of nitrogen for the composters, plus they compost warmer so it is very good for my worm bins in the winter, helps keep my red wiggler worms from freezing when it is cold.

Can you find Thomas in this picture?

Thomas is virtually invisible in the Aquafina box, in fact, you may not even be able to see him. He is hidden very well and ready to ambush an unsuspecting person or fuzzy kitten, whichever

Fuzzy & Me

I put the camera on a timer and took this picture of Fuzzy & me at the computer.

Harvested today-carrots & a kohlrabi

Halloween pumpkins

Updates on the wild bunch

Well I have lost 2 kittens to feline distemper. One very sick kitty I believe is going to make it. I have spent the last week tending to him every few hours; making him eat, drink, and take antibiotics. He is drinking some water on his own, but not food yet, and he now feels well enough to want to be held ALL the time. The other 2 kittens do not appear to have gotten the disease. I am going to arrange with the vet to begin their vaccinations, if I can catch the wildest one that is.
Fuzzy has been kept in the house through most of his illness, letting him out to the garden only during the warmest part of the day. I think he is starting to like being a house cat instead of a strictly garden variety. (pun intended, of course)

A friend sent this to me, I found it very amusing.... kind of garden humor. -m

Pastor's Business Card
A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, "Genesis 3:10 ...."

Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked."

today's photos

mari golds growing in a container.

seedlings coming up for my winter garden. mostly what's up is beets, but a few carrots, and one pak choi.

blue, pink, purple hydrangeas. means my soil is fairly neutral.

mariachi peppers. one red one hidden in the back. salsa soon.

pick n go tomatoes today. soon they will be ripe and really will be ready to pick and go. in front there are lilies (no longer blooming), a zinnia, and some squashes.

Winter and Fall veggies

This weekend I have been planting fall and winter veggies. I have transplanted the cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflowers that I seeded in pots in June. I have also planted seeds for touchon carrots, cylindra beets, pac choi, bok choy, a winter oak leaf lettuce, and salsify. I do not know about salsify. I have never had it. Few people I have spoke with have heard of it and no one yet that I know has tried it. If any of you reading my blog has eaten this root veggy, I would be really like to know what you thought of 1. the taste and 2. if you've grown it, how the veggy did.
I also bought some Holland greens for Dad. These are fodder greens for cattle. 40 days growing season, no mustard oils. This is also new to me so once again, if you've grown it, do let me know your thoughts on it.
-Mar

A visitor

This moth came in for a visit. He seemed a bit camera shy, but I did manage to get a picture. Thomas the farm cat had fun trying to catch him but the moth escaped unharmed.

gooseberry

This is a black gooseberry. I bought this plant this spring at the Master Gardener plant sale. The black variety seems to be very sweet.

More lilies

star gazer lily-very fragrant oriental lily


Yellow trumpet lily

Pink trumpet lilies, had to have one because my sister does.

veggy pics taken 6/30/08

Here are some veggy pictures from today.

Fava beans. This is the first time I have tried growing favas.

So far they are looking yummy.

Sweet peppers and a small basil

The "pick-n-go" tomaotes out front.

Garden pictures from 6/30/08

Well only 15 days left til my birthday! Here are some pictures of flowers in the garden that I took this evening.More lilies. LA hybrid are a little smaller with orange center and pink tips on the petals.

Asian lilies more fully in bloom
(La hybrid in front)

Thalictrum Flavia (ranunculaceae-buttercup fam)

Scabiosa, also called pincushion flower

orange poppies with orange and yellow dahlias behing them. Also Liatris not yet in bloom.

Mar Farm Chicken

Ok so it is really a fluffy baby jay and not a chicken. This little guy was born "on the farm" in the fir tree.

This is the small garden I have planted at work.

Lucky the possum

I was actually able to get a picture of Lucky the possum. Lucky is the possum we rescued when he got entirely tangled up in the salmon fishing net. He likes to browse through the garden in search of snails. Possums are one of the best snail controls I have found, especially when they get a little bigger.

Thanks to everyone who has visited so far!

Thank you everyone who has visited my garden blog. It is fun for me to share my photos and tips. Let me know if you need advice (or in some cases, whole gardens). I may not be a master gardener, but I know almost as much. Just not the formal training./ Note: you should be able to click on the pictures to see them full size. -Marika

Rosemary

I originally bought this plant as spindly sorry looking plant for 50 cents. It was an orphan plant and needed a good home. I have been growing it for many years now, but it is definitely not a spindly plant any more.

Mind your T's and P's

Teas - Monarda or bee balm. Add the leaves to tea for a nice Earl Grey flavor. This particular one has purple flowers. The hummingbirds like them a lot. At the base of the monarda is lime thyme and behind then is oregano and garlic.

Peas - Snow peas. The purple flowers in front are radish flowers. I let a few radishes flower as they are not only lovely flowers, but I will get volunteer radishes later this year.

Problem plum-Tips for growing plums

No plums this year. It snowed on the blossoms so naturally no bees or other pollinators were out. This plum also has a problem. It had a major infestation of white flies and aphids. I have treated the underside of the leaves with a mild insecticidal soap. It is better to get a commercially blended organic insecticidal soap rather than try to make your own as too many soaps have salts in them. The salts will cause "burning" of the leaves-equally as detrimental to the plants as the parasites. I am also encouraging spiders to help keep any that might have survived. I will also routinely spray the leaves with a strong stream of water to eliminate any that may return. The problem is that the damaged leaves cannot be made better. It will weaken the tree and so I will have to maintain a diligent vigilence next spring to make sure the tree revives. I am told by an OSU master garden, who is well educated about fruit trees, that this is a common problem in the Northwest and that white flies and aphids actually kill a lot of young plum trees.