I actually got both kids looking at the camera, smiling! The project idea came from here.
Author: Liz Braithwaite
The Problem is the Solution
I recently went to a Permaculture workshop up at USU It was excellent. If you ever have a chance to hear Joel Glanzberg, don’t miss it. One of the principles we talked about was that the problem is the solution. Here’s two writer who did just that: a gardener started eating the weeds growing in her vegetable garden, and a native-plant enthusiast used her “weedy” driveway as a plant nursery.
Other ways to turn the problem into the solution? Here are a few:
- Use fall leaves as mulch. (Or drop them off at my house. It is beyond me why anyone would willingly get rid of their leaves….it is the best form of free mulch.)
- Let the clover grow and provide free fertilizer in the lawn
- Feed grasshoppers to chicken or other animals
- Use the death of a plant to plant something better
- Put kitchen gardens close to the house or in the front yard
- Use unique native or adapted plants for hard-to-grow areas
Waiting
My brother came home off his mission. This is PB waiting at the airport. Did I actually bother to get a picture of my brother? No. Sometimes I am enjoying things too much to remember to take pictures.
Fall Bloom
Often mistaken for sagebrush, this rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus) looks great with a yellow bloom in the fall.
Hiking
I love hiking with little people. We probably made it only a half mile, but the kids point out many things I would fail to notice: imaginary snakes, acorns, ants, small waterfalls. Some of the leaves were even beginning to lose their green.
Garden Update
The garden is winding down. Here is a quick rundown:
Best Plant: Giant sunflowers. Planted as an afterthought, these guys did great.
Most Disappointing Plant: Blue Hubbard squash. They died midway through the season. The strawberries also never did well, but I didn’t expect much out of them.
Biggest Mistake: The tomatoes supports. The plants are floppy. The method is good, just didn’t keep up with it enough.
Unused Crop: Cabbages and chard. Apparently we don’t really eat either.
Best Idea: Planting sunflowers in with the vining crops. Although some out competed their companions.
No-shows: I seeded in a bunch of flowers and herbs. One flower came up a couple months late.
New crop: Cabbages. A lot of pests eat cabbages, and I don’t. Probably not a repeat.
Early Harvest: The beans surprised me with how quickly they produced a good harvest. I seeded them in after the peas finished.
Most Delicious: Fresh, ripe cantaloupe.
I have just a small patch of potatoes to dig, the tomatoes are still producing, but that’s about it. Not a bad year.
Kids
When PB hears a new word, he doesn’t always get it right. The carnival was a carnivore. He wanted me to turn the shovel off of his music.
He is often frustrated because he wants to do things but can’t always figure it out. One day we had a good half hour of tears because he couldn’t cut out animal pictures. When he does do something challenging, he breaks into a big grin saying, “Mommy I can do it now.” His accomplishments he is proud of include drawing a square and rectangle, getting dressed by himself, and finally cutting out a picture.
Here is a video of my wild children.
Bikers
Parade
Eating loads of taffy, and sitting on asphalt makes for two messy, but happy kids. We had a blast at Peach Days last week: riding rides, watching parades, and not going to the car show. I sent Joe and PB and stayed home while Mr. C napped. I don’t really care about mustangs or corvettes, although my car loving kid is making me notice them.
Sunflowers
Reaching up tall
Shining bright
Full of their own beauty
In their prime
Drooping
No longer beautiful
Straining under the weight
But here is where
The important work begins
For if a plant only flowered
It would be quite lovely
But eventually fade
And be forgotten
But if a plant not only flowers
But produces seed
It fades and dies
But
The seed continues
Next year, forever
Never forgotten
Liz Braithwaite 