Garden Seedlings

I do not have an elaborate set up for starting my seedlings. But, as it turns out, my definition of "elaborate" might be nothing more impressive than a grow-light.

I do not have a grow-light for starting my seedlings. Sometimes I think it might be nice to have a grow-light, but I'm not even sure where I would set it up.

Instead I make do with a sunny window.

Although I did get one of those Jiffy brand seed starting trays with the little pellets. Watching the pellets expand when you add water is fun.

My seedlings are doing well this year. I've only killed one so far! My gardening notes from last year include the observation that I "killed more seedlings than I care to admit." Still, my garden last year survived and thrived, despite me.

This year I bought some of those Burpee brand bio-degradable, cardboard pots for transplanting my seedlings as they grow. I'm trying to be diligent about stepping up their pot size so they can grow strong and steady.

I told myself I wasn't going to plant too many tomato plants this year. Last year I ended up with five or six tomato plants and it resulted in a glut of tomatoes at harvest time. I gave away at least two batches of tomatoes because I couldn't keep up.

Last year's tomatoes included ones I had started myself that I didn't think would survive and three strong seedlings my hairdresser gave me. Boy howdy, she has a green thumb. Her seedlings were at least as lovely as ones you would buy at the store. She said she sets them up on her dining room table and is transplants them on a regular basis.

I'm not planning to take any of her leftover seedlings this year as I want to keep things reasonable. However, despite this goal, if I'm interpreting the leaves correctly I seem to have four or five tomatoes going.

Oops.

There is one plant I'm dithering about.

I started this big tomato seedling a few months ago. The original idea was to have a potted tomato to extend my fresh tomato growing time. However, I didn't start it early enough in the winter and we've bumped into normal growing time.

At this point I'm thinking maybe I'll go ahead and plant it in the garden in the yard and use one of the other seedlings for a potted plant. Or maybe I should start one in the summer so it is fruiting in the fall when my yard garden has died off.

One of these years I'll figure out this staggered growing times business!

This plastic, wheeled draw unit completes my seed-starting set up. My mom bought this for some reason when we first moved into the house. I had shoved it into the closet in the spare room since I didn't have a use for it.

Now I'm using it to support the tray my seedlings are on. As you can see, the windows come down rather low so the drawer until lifts the tray up into the sunlight. The seedlings on the top seem quite happy.

Starting seeds in the drawers doesn't seem to be working out very well. Perhaps they aren't getting enough sun. I thought being in the drawer would keep them warm. Many didn't seem to germinate and the ones that did are scrawny. I'm trying to get them out of the drawer, but there isn't any more room up top!

Without more room for my seed-starting efforts, I should probably direct sow my flower seeds.

Garden Grid

It is time to fire up my vegetable garden again!

Since I am in zone 6 my frost-free date isn't until early May, but the weather has been so mild I decided to risk starting early.

The first step, which wouldn't care if there was another frost was to till and prep the soil.

One concern I had was how to create a grid to lay over my garden in order to keep track of what was planted where. I wanted something durable that would be able to survive the weather and being watered. But I also wanted it to light-weight and semi-permanent so I could easily move it if I needed to.

I was considering a number of elaborate ideas, but knew I should frame it out first to make it easier to take measurements.

To that end, I untangled the acrylic yarn and wood skewers I used last year and put them to work again.

This set up came to a bad end last year. While attempting to weed-wack around my garden I hit one of the skewers, which broke the skewer and resulted in yarn getting tangled up IN and around the weed-wacker head.

Oops.

Luckily I was able to work the yarn out of the head and the machine is running normally again.

After getting my temporary guide grid in place I dragged hubby out to my garden to bounce ideas off of him.

His reactions included, "What is wrong with what you have already?" and "What are other people using?" Both were good points.

Now there shouldn't be another weed-wacker incident because I have the stone border in place now. An issue I had with the yarn last years was the first time it rained the yarn sagged and was no longer accurate. I suppose I could always tighten it up if it sags.

I did an internet search for "square foot garden grids" and in many of the forum posts I read people were saying they were using yarn or twine! I'm already using the method a lot of other people find effective.

That was a relief! I saved a lot of time and money. My current grid is essentially free because I used items I already have around the house. Time was saved because I don't have to worry about building anything.

With the grid situation resolved I was free to plant my cold weather veggies —spinach, radishes, beets, onion, and carrots.

I was also happy to see the strawberries and asparagus I planted last year seem to be coming back strong.

Garden Anticipation

When I was at the store yesterday I decided to take a turn through the garden department to see if anything was out yet 

Boy, howdy, was it well stocked! So many exciting options. It was a good thing I didn't have a shopping cart or I would have bought all kinds of goodies. 

I saw this cedar raised bed kit that made me rethink the cinder block idea. However, when I got home and showed the picture to hubby he pointed out it was less than 4" long. That is shorter than I want, so that's out. 

There was a wealth of seed starting options. It was good to see what my choices would be. 

I think I like the self-watering ones best. The 75 cell units are very appealing. It is unclear whether any of them are reusable. 

I exercised self-control and didn't buy any. It was easier to resist knowing I won't be starting seeds until next month. Good thing I found that spiffy calendar from the local extension service!

When I got home I checked my notes, and the special calendar, and realized I would be starting only 14 plants inside. The others will be sowed outside. That means I can get a smaller, but fancier seed starting set. 

And, of course, there were seed packets galore! Enough to make your head spin. 

Again, I didn't buy any because I didn't have my notes with me. I still have some seeds from last year that are still viable I'll have to check them before I stick up. 

I will probably start stocking up next week. 

Another thing I did was check the Burpee website for prices and options. I'll probably end up ordering my asparagus and strawberries from there. They are having a sale, and free shipping if you sign up for their newsletter. They are also included packets of flowers that appeal to bees in orders placed by sometime in May. 

Since they don't mail the live plants until the proper time for your zone, I can place my order now, take advantage of the special offers, and get a "surprise" in March!

Back to garden talk

I have a sprout!

This time I am saying it with excitement, unlike when I found that onion the other day. 

Nothing yet from the other little pot. 

Now the trick will be keeping it alive.

I read in those library books that window sills don't provide enough light for a sprout, which needs plenty of overhead light. 

That might explain why my plants last year were so pathetic. 

If it doesn't seem happy in the window, I'll have to move it somewhere it can have a lamp. 

More Garden Stuff

It has been brought to my attention that my main topic of conversation lately has been about my future garden.

This wasn't said in so many words, but events revealed it to be true.

Recently, I went to the pantry cupboard and found this onion.

I said, in what I thought was a proper tone of disgust, "One of my onions sprouted!"

Hubby, however, thought I was reporting an exciting event and asked why I'm growing onions inside the house.

In his defense, I was working on smuggling my Earth Box into the house last week to try to grow tomatoes. My plan stalled in the garage because it was too heavy for me to lift up the steps. It has since been wheeled back out to the shed.

After all, the seeds I planted in wee pots in my office haven't even sprouted yet!

In the mean time, planning continues.

While we were unpacking I found this old, unused notebook. The markings indicate it was made in France.

Why we have a French notebook is beyond me, but I'm not going to complain. It seems to be custom printed for Square Foot Garden planning!

It is printed with graph paper instead of just ruled lines. Much easier to draw garden plans.

I have transferred my notes over from the first notebook I was using, but have also realized it's time to reel myself in.

It is way to early to be thinking about my garden this much. In my growing zone, I won't even be starting seeds until March! All this planning and daydreaming is beginning to make me annoyed I can't start my garden right now.

This all means it's time to return the library books and revisit them in February.

I've also realized I'm going to have to scale back the planting plans for this year. There won't be much spring planting happening this first season. We didn't prep the garden plot when we first moved in, which means now we have to wait until the ground has thawed in the spring.

Oh well, at least I'm formulating these thoughts now. It will save me flailing around too much in the spring, when time will be of the essence.

Until then I'll knit, and plot where in the house I can start my seeds when the time comes!

Garden Planning Decisions

This morning I started telling hubby my thoughts and concerns about the garden.

After listening to me rattle on for a while he said, "I thought we were going to do a raised bed garden."

Um, what?

He want on to agree that we have poor soil and will have to add top soil to make the garden viable.

This all sounded very familiar. In fact, it was what I had decided to do after we nixed the greenhouse idea.

The books had led me astray! All my angst, research, and comparison shopping last night were unnecessary because we'd already decided on raised beds weeks ago.

::sigh::

We then went on to discuss what we would use for the frame (sides) of the raised bed. I had read online that wood will rot, although that seemed to be mainly in Florida, and the pre-fab frames I saw online were a little pricey. (In fact, the cost of the pre-fab frames was a factor in leading me to the idea of buying a bunch of Earth Boxes.)

After tossing around a few ideas, we settled on....cinder blocks. That came as quite a surprise to me. I figured hubby wouldn't want them because he would think it was ugly. He did say I should paint them to dress them up.

Hubby is very concerned that the garden doesn't turn into an eyesore. That is one of the reasons the promise of easy maintenance with Square Foot Gardening idea caught my eye.

But cinder blocks seem the easiest since we shouldn't have to dig trenches to sink them or put in supports. We're thinking we can just plunk them on the ground where we want them and move on. (We could be wrong.)

With all that settled, I can now move onto the fun of deciding just what I'm going to plant and when!
I think I will still use the principles of SFG to organize my garden.

Despite the fact that I'm supposed to start small, I think I will still want to start with two 4' x 4' beds. I really want to try growing asparagus, since it is our go-to green veggie, and it takes several years for it to get established. Therefore, I want to plant it right away.

In the mean time, I might use my current Earth Box for the herb garden. That might allow me to extend the life of the plants by bringing it into either the shed or the garage next winter.

Mint is the other random plant I know for sure I want to grow. I'm concerned about it being invasive. I think I will plant that in the big red pot I bought last year.

There are high expectations for the red pot. It has to be attractive, keep the mint contained, and also have enough room for a big, bushy mint plant.

I have to get mint for my cocktails from somewhere!

Garden Planning Angst

For the first time in five years we have a private yarn, with which we can do whatever we want.

As far as I'm concerned, one activity will be a garden.

It has been longer than five years since I had an in-ground garden, as a result of Samson's antics when he was a puppy. (One year he ate all my tomatoes. The following year he peed on my plants.)

I'm hoping that now that he is older he won't get up to any mischief. Besides, any animal deterrent measures we put in place should keep out a puppy, too!

The problem is deciding which gardening method I want to employ.

Originally, we had discussed getting me a greenhouse. While it might have extended my growing season, and been an easy way to protect my plants from critters, it would have also kept me confined to containers. I wanted to get away from containers and allow my roots to run free!

The greenhouse idea was eliminated when we realized the area we were planning to place it at the end of the driveway is essential to maneuvering the car in and out of the garage.

With the prospect of an in-ground garden before me, I started excitedly making a list of "all the vegetables we eat on a regular enough basis to be worthwhile growing."

That list quickly expanded to 16 items.

I then added herbs, which were another 9 types.

Hubby, knowing what I'm like, suggested maybe I should start small with a few key plants and expand in subsequent years. He made an excellent point, although I haven't actually scaled down my list yet.

Regardless of the number of varieties I was going to plant, I had to plan my garden before we broke ground. To that end, I went to the library (so old-fashioned) and borrowed three books that seemed like they would be good for garden planning.

One of the books was "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew. Within 10 pages I was totally drinking the Kool-Aid on this system. The combination of built in size restrictions and purported ease of maintenance sounded right up my alley.

But then I read about the construction in the book, read a few blogs, and now I'm not so sure. You are supposed to put down a barrier—either fabric or cardboard, from what I can tell—which helps block weeds. However, that will also prevent the roots from running free.

Suddenly it sounds like glorified container gardening, which wasn't what I wanted.

If I was going to stick with containers, I might as well get additional Earth Boxes. My dad sent me one for my birthday two years ago.

That first year I used established seedlings I bought at Lowe's and they grew very well.

The second year (summer 2015), things didn't go as well.

I decided to be clever and start my own plants from seeds. 

But I did not thin them, which resulted in puny plants that never really recovered. The cold, wet weather at the start of the growing season didn't help either.


The combination led to a very pathetic harvest.

If I stick with the Earth Boxes I'll have to be much more careful. Especially if I start from seeds again, which I prefer.

The poor performance of this year's plants is what made me want to get out of containers in the first place, although I think the mistakes are easy to avoid.

But, as I said earlier, I've circled around to the idea of getting more Earth Boxes because they might be a good compromise between a traditional garden and the Square Foot Garden.

I'm not sure what the soil is like in our new yard. The first place we lived down here had predominantly clay soil. It's possible the soil here at the new how will have a lot of clay as well.

I know it will probably be very rocky. We have several large outcroppings around the yard. I'm not looking forward to trying to prep an area for a garden if I'm going to be digging up rocks in the process. For all I know, the top soil isn't very deep.

I'm hesitating over the Earth Boxes because of the cost. On the other hand, it is far less than the green house would have been. Especially when you consider the green house would have required the purchase of containers.

In theory, we could create a Square Foot Garden for less, unless we bought a kit, which is getting into the range of the three Earth Boxes I'm considering.

Another issue is that, really, I can already sense that if I don't go full in-ground, I'm going to end up with a combination. There are crops I want to plant (asparagus) that have to be in the ground. I could buy my three Earth Boxes (for a total of four) and still end up digging up rocky, clay soil to plant asparagus and strawberry.

I suppose I should go run these ideas by hubby to see what he thinks. This blog post didn't clarify my mind as much as I was hoping.

Timber!

Warning: No knitting content ahead, although Samson and Baru get mentioned.

Note: Yeah, I know this is supposed to be a blog mainly about knitting/crocheting with an occasional mention of my doggies, but I like to share of topic events that I think will amuse you (usually at my expense) and because it's good to stretch my writing muscles.

There was very little knitting or sweater designing for me over the long weekend. Hubby had declared that we would do Massive Amounts of Yardwork in an attempt to undo the effects of our regular neglect.

On one level I know I shouldn't complain because, really, Hubby does all the hard work and I just follow around cleaning up after him and doing the detail stuff.

Leverage Knowledge
In preparation of this monumental task I asked my friend Giggles from the yarn store to come give us some advice. Not only does she make those awesome project bags I wrote about a few months ago, but she has a degree in, like, landscape management or something. In fact, I think she used to run, or even own, a landscape company. So I was totally taking advantage of her expertise.

She very kindly did not laugh at us and our overgrown shrubs at all. She told us where to clip, how to prune, and what to take out entirely. My favorite part was when she said, "I find that just removing the dead branches makes a shrub look maintained." She delivered this in a deadpan without the least amount of judgment.

Fortunately for me I was working at the yarn store Saturday. By the time I got home Hubby had done the grocery shopping and worn himself out mowing, weed whacking, and hedging and was ready to call it quits for the day.

I took the opportunity to mix up a batch of bread starter.

Timber!
I was not pleased at all the next morning when the starter showed no signs of life. I put it down to the fact the house was in the low 70s F due to our central air. So I stuck it on the porch in the sun for a few hours.

A bit of advice we were not surprised to receive was to take down the tree at the end of the yard that was infested by a grape vine.

Hubby rented a chainsaw and we had at it. He chopped and I dragged the debris off to the side for disposal.

Boy howdy, chopping down trees is hard work and I wasn't even doing the work!

Because of the dangerous nature of our activity, we left Samson inside. He protested loudly as he was sure us monkeys couldn't manage something like chopping down a tree without a canine supervisor. When we stopped for a break about halfway through and let him out of the house he immediately ran over and peed on the stump.

Thanks, pup.

I also took the opportunity to mix up my bread dough, but I only kneaded it for about five minutes since I had to save my strength for yard work.

Total Collapse
Not the dough, me.

Did I mention it was like a billion degrees F all weekend? And we were busting our butts outside in the heat. Of course I worked right along side Hubby because I am Not a Princess, but it turns out I am a Delicate Flower.

Hubby had the stump chopped up by 4 pm. Then he sent me to the shed for something, which was like an oven. I came back declaring I'd just been sick from the heat and I was done for the day.

After taking I cold shower I flopped into bed and fell asleep. Hubby must have been keeping an eye on me because after a few hours he woke me up for dinner. I finally admitted I had woken up with a headache and being in the sun all day didn't help.

Then I promptly fell asleep on the couch.

When I finally woke up around 9 pm I stumbled out in the kitchen to check my bread dough. It had risen quite a bit. However, I knew I couldn't face shaping and braiding it. All I could manage was dividing it in two and forming it into ovals. I sprayed the tops with olive oil, covered it with plastic wrap, and stuck the whole mess in the fridge.

Then I went to bed for real.

Back in Action
I was pleased when I woke up Monday morning with no whiff of a bad head.

The pups and I charged downstairs and took the dough out of the fridge so it could come to room temperature before I baked it.

Shortly after I let the dogs out I heard Baru barking his head off. Yep, you guessed it, he was barking at the lack of tree. Poor dog just can't handle change. You might remember how strenuously he objected to the new air conditioner compressor.

I don't know if it was the lack of tree, the new view, or what, but he wasn't happy. However, by the afternoon he had come to terms with it.

Can't say I blame him, though. The tree being gone really changes the look of the backyard. Almost makes it look bigger somehow.

By the time Hubby stumbled downstairs the bread was baked. It turned out well, despite the sever neglect. I imagine it was saved by the long slow rising times it had due to the low temps in the house and then being in the fridge overnight. Still, I wouldn't want to risk trying to duplicate the process. Especially the headache part.

Detail Work
We swung back into action. I was posted on the front shrubs doing detail pruning of removing dead branches and old flowers. It was very tiring work in it's own way. I did my best to be all philosophical about it by focusing on the task at hand and doing the best I could. With the sun beating down on my head the mind set didn't keep me from getting really hot.

Samson said it was pretty hot, too, but he got to lay down on the fresh dirt exposed under the bushes by all our trimming and raking.

After over an hour of work I told Hubby I was really hot and needed a break. He agreed. We went into the backyard, stripped down to our undies, and hosed each other off. It was a mix between "Holy Smokes! That's Cold!" and "Oh Man! That feels sooo good, spray me again."

We decided that if we were that hot Samson must be too, so I called him over and hosed him down. He had the same reaction we did. He let me spray him, then stepped way, shook off, then turned right around and trotted over for another go. I made sure to get his head and chest really well. The second time he ran up on the porch to shake off and didn't come back until I put the hose down. Clever puppy.

After the break was over we tried to leave Samson inside, but he barked at us so we had to let him out. However, he spent most of the rest of the afternoon snoozing on the front porch. It's well shaded and I guess the concrete floor was a little cooler.

He was so tuckered out from his hard day of supervising us that after dinner he hopped up on the love seat with me and passed out. He didn't even budge when I got up to make my tea. (Usually both dogs follow me expecting to be let out.)

I was pretty tuckered out too.

The yard looks loads better, but there is still work to be done. If I'm lucky Hubby is knocking out the rest of it (or most of it) today while I'm at work. hehehe.

Of course, once the outside is cleaned up he'll turn his attention to the inside. There is no rest for the wife. That's the trouble with being married to a teacher. They have waaay to much time on their hands in the summer.

We Have Lift Off

No yarn related content ahead.
My bulbs have started coming up.
Here are some lame little crocuses that have bloomed in the corner flower bed under the rhododendron.
Bulbs in the other flower beds have broken the surface, but haven't made this kind of progress. Although I think some daffodils will bloom any day now.
I'm even starting to see leaves breaking the surface on the hill in the driveway.

400 Strong
I say these five little crocus are lame because I'm sure I've planted around 400 bulbs in the four years we've been in the house, so I feel I should have much more color by now.
Also, I really should have gotten closer when I took the picture, but I was in my pajamas and only has on slipper socks, so I didn't want to walk in the dirt.
The bulb situation is really out of control, but I'm still not satisfied.
The first year in the house, Costco had reasonably priced bags of 100 daffodil bulbs. My mom and I decided to split a bag, giving us 50 bulbs each. Well, when we went to the store there weren't any more of those bags, so we ended up buying a variety of smaller bags.
After we'd divided them up, we each had upwards of 100 bulbs. We looked at each other and said, "How the frak did that happen?"
Now, I know 100 bulbs sounds like a lot. And it was a lot when I was planting the damn things. But when they bloomed, it seemed sparce.
So the next year I did it again.

Seasonal
The problem is, it turns out all the flowers I really like, and therefore keep buying/planting, are early spring bloomers—daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, paperwhites, crocus. So they all bloom at once and then I've got nothing for the rest of the summer.
Resulting in an effort these last two years to find late spring and summer blooms, but they are more money for fewer bulbs. So my beds are still pretty sparce.
And I've only got the three small beds and the hill out front, so I'm really planting bulbs on top of bulbs.
It's getting ugly.
What I really need is some hardy, fast growing ground cover.
Hubby commented once that usually when people have an interest in something (like say, gardening) they also usually have some skill at it.
He wasn't trying to be insulting. He was just commenting on my plant killing skills in general. It's not my fault our soil sucks.

Furry Little Flower Killer
Not that any of my efforts matter.
Once those poor daffodils do bloom, they won't have long to live.
Let's see, it was the second year in the house, which would have been Baru's first spring, because we got him the summer we moved into the house.
Which would also have been the first time any of the bulbs I had planted would have bloomed, since they would have gone into the ground autumn 2005.
One day I was on the back porch and noticed some recently bloomed daffodils were gone.
Not withered like they had died, just gone.
Which was odd, since we don't get deer in our yard (there are only two recorded sightings and it will be five years in the house in April), and I didn't think deer ate daffodils anyway.
As I was contemplating what could have happened to my flowers, Baru was running laps in the yard.
The next time he passed the flower bed, and without breaking stride, he turned his head and decapitated a daffodil.
After a few strides, he spit it out.
His lack of hesitation proves this was something he was accustomed to doing.
I've also seen him going out of his way to munch on tulips, which he also spits out.
And there is no way I can stop him.
This is, of course, so wrong on so many levels.
In addition to concerns for Baru's health, there is the annoyance of loosing my blooms, and then also having to let the plain leaves finish their growing cycle so the bulbs have enough energy to come back the following year.
So Baru can entertain himself.

No Go

The energy assessment didn't happen.
We had waited for about 45 minutes when Hubby suggested I call to see where they were. I was told the crew wasn't working because it was Columbus Day, a fact I had questioned when the appointment was set. The dude said someone was supposed to call me to reschedule, well obviously they didn't. Now they are supposed to call me first thing tomorrow and I'll have to take a vacation day.
The best part was an auditor from UI was at the house to assess their work, which I told the dude on the phone.
A few hours later someone called Hubby to apologize for the inconvenience. That person said the crew had called in sick. Uh, huh. My suspicions are fueled by them knowing about the auditor, however the auditor was long gone so how could that help them?
One good thing is the auditor said this company we're working with is one of the best and actually trains the other companies in the program.

Yard Work on an Autumn Day
Another good thing is Hubby and I got tons of yard work done. He was already outside mowing when it all fell apart. The plan was he'd take the pups out with him when the guys arrived and I'd be in the house to observe.
Well, when they weren't showing up I got bored, went out front and started sweeping the porch. That turned into raking the driveway. Hubby mowed and trimmed the hedges.
The house looks all spiffy again. The raking wouldn't have gotten down if the guys had shown up because I wouldn't have been out there helping.

Iris Plant Goes Down
But that's not the only outside stuff I did.
On Saturday I attacked an overgrown Iris plant in the side yard. A previous owner had planted it and I haven't divided it in the three years we've been here. It was starting to choke itself.
I was at it for two or three hours. I had to dig it up, which wasn't easy because the roots were so dense and our soil is so rocky. I even had to pop a section of the picket fence out so I could attack it from all angles.
It was so tangled up that I had to bust out the garden shears and just hack at it to break it apart. I ended up with probably two dozen plants when I was done.
Thankfully, Hubby arrived home from the debate then and I had an excuse to toss everything in the shed and collapse. I did dig a trench along the fence and replant about 8 plants first.
This morning I woke up bright and early (which was annoying on a holiday Monday) and went straight outside and planted the rest of the plant.
That little adventure ended up taking two hours as well. There is a weird berry plant thing that keeps growing in one of my flower beds. It has really thick roots, which I think is how it propagates, and black berries in a grape cluster. Well, I went crazy uprooting it. Ended up digging up one entire flower bed and a hole at least a foot deep.
The worst part is it will probably be back next year.

A Fuzzy Supervisor
Samson got tons of fresh air this weekend.
Since he is a good puppy who just wants to be with his human I let him be in the front yard with me while I was attacking the Iris. And he followed me around while I was raking. He kept an eye on Hubby, but he doesn't like the lawnmower and other noise equipment.
The only issue we had on Saturday was when someone walked by the house and Samson started to follow him. I turned just in time to see his tail disappearing around the hedge. But he came right back, straight to me, sat down looking all contrite, and gave me his paw. He looked very sheepish during my lecture about being a bad puppy.
Baru stayed in the house. He doesn't like to be outside anyway, and his little brain can't handle the excitement of being in the front yard, so he runs around like a maniac. It's worrisome and just easier on everyone not to include him.

Did I Mention How Lucky I Am?
Just as I finished planting everything this morning Hubby called me in for breakfast. He had a lovely veggie omelet waiting. With a bowl of strawberries on the side. I swear sometimes it's like being at a bed and breakfast.

Furry little fruit theif

It snowed Tuesday afternoon/evening, which is apropos of nothing. The road remained in fairly good shape, so although it made for a long drive home at least it wasn't white knuckle driving.
That evening I was sitting on the couch knitting with Baru in my lap and Samson playing on the floor beside us, as usual. And I could smell an orange.
I sat there knitting and thinking how nice the orange smelled when I finally thought, "Wait a minute. I can SMELL an orange." I looked down and, sure enough, that wasn't a ball Samson had.
So I yelled up to Hubby, "Did you give Samson this orange?" (only it sounded like ORE-ng, because it is one of the few words that brings out my South Jersey accent, consistently. I really say orange weird.)
And Hubby said, "No. He had it when I got home."
Which means the furry little thief swiped it off the counter.

samson smiling
Originally uploaded by annmcclure2000

I didn't bother to take it. It's not like we were going to eat it at that point. And there was not point scolding, he already had the thing.
He like oranges. Actually, he likes any round food that he can play with. One day I dropped a bag of oranges and there was a mad scramble to pick them up. Samson snagged one and was rather happy. He will treat the orange as a ball for a few hours, playing with it, then he will lay down, tear a hole in the skin and eat the flesh.
He also likes tomatoes, especially fresh from the vine. The first year in the house I planted tomatoes in the corner of the yard between the house and the steps to the driveway. First he took the ones that fell to the ground. Then he started on the ripe ones on the plants. When those were exhausted he started on the green ones, which worried me they would get bad bellies and indeed Baru hurled at least once.
The second year I planted on the far side of the picket fence where the puppies aren't allowed. this worked rather well, but the soil was very rocky and hard to work.
Last summer I planted at the end of the back deck, where the grass doesn't grow because of water run of and a big tree that shades the area. I didn't think it was the best spot, and it wasn't. The vines weren't very productive. Samson when after them anyway. When I told him not to he retaliated by peeing on them. That was the end of that, I'm not eating tomatoes watered with puppy urine.
I don't think I'll do a garden next year.
Anyway, back to Tuesday night and the orange. A few minutes after discovering the theft, I got up and they wanted to go outside. Samson wanted to take his orange. He's not supposed to take toys outside, but I figured it's not a real toy so what the heck. A few minutes later I look out the window and Baru is eating the orange wholesale, skin and all, crunch crunch. Samson was standing there looking forlorn, which made me feel sorry for him. So I went and got him the last apple, which was probably on the way out anyway.
Apples apparently don't have the play appeal that oranges do because he just laid down in the snow and ate it. Baru, meanwhile, was busy licking the snow to get any juice that dripped.
I suppose this is what I get for having them on a healthy, all natural diet. At least they eat their fruit and vegetables.