All posts tagged: spring

earth month

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But I’ll push myself up through the dirt And shake my petals free I’m resolved to being born And so resigned to bravery -Dar Williams, “Spring String” (from The Green World) Some like to have a fresh start on New Year’s Eve, but my fresh start comes in April. April pulls me out of the dark winter with tiny buds of promise. It brings actual earthy smells in the air, rain, dirt, plants, longer days, color, and time spent away from the drudgery of technology. It also brings memories of my time with Anderson as a newborn, which is one of the happiest times of my life. It pulls me out of survival mode and allows me to look forward to simple things, like camping on Memorial Day and playing on the beach and ocean path runs. With Earth Day on the mind, it is also a perfect time for a “check in” with how we are doing from an environmental standpoint. We do a pretty good job, but we can do better. I thought I’d share a few …

garden prep and compost FAQ

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We are probably moving this year.  It is all still a big question mark, but we’re about 90% certain. I had decided not to try to start seeds indoors this year and not to purchase any seeds at all.  We’ll be selling our home, right?  Why spend the time? Then spring started to happen.  My dad gave me some of his leftover seeds.  I starting thinking about growing kale the first time, which would be planted now.  In the end, I just couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t not grow things.

seed starting tips

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I’m beyond giddy.  This is my very favorite time of year. Between packets I had, packets I picked up, and a special care package from my dad, I have most of the seeds that I need (thought I still need to place a last minute order from Johnny’s). Last week, I started… Marketmore and Sweet Marketmore cucumbers California Wonder 300 and Orange Sun peppers Russian Tarragon Tomatoes: Mountain Magic Vine Hybrid, Ananas Noir (won from Down to Earth Digs), Best Boy, Supersweet 100 Cherry Hybrid, Amish Paste Heirloom, Crimson Cusion Beefsteak Heirloom, Burpee Big Boy, and Brandywine Red. Red Velvet Celosia Marigolds Nasturtium: Jewel Mix and Empress of India Gigante Verde Tomatillos I’m particularly excited about tomatillos.  I’ve never grown them before and I love them as a snack if they are fresh from a garden (not the ones in the grocery store – ew). We have a grow light shelf similar to this one, only deeper and with four shelves (and we bought ours on Craigslist a few years ago because the price is …

happy spring!

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I saw tulips peeking out the other day. Spring is officially here today, even though New England still has snow on the ground from our latest storm.  Every year at this time, I clip a few twigs from the red leaf plum tree out front, followed by forsythia, and place them in water to force the blooms.  It is my own farewell to winter. Here is a little forced red leaf plum photo shoot. The photos are taken with my iphone and a Sigma Merrill DP-3.  I also took photos with a Diana/120 film, but unfortunately they aren’t developed yet.  I’ll add them to to this post at a later time.  

a week of spring: lilac

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Saturday I came home feeling under the weather yesterday, so I wasn’t able to post.  I’m sorry for missing a day of my “week of spring!” This last picture of the week is of a little lilac bush that is less than one foot high, but full of new growth. My vegetable plants are important because I spend so much time growing them from seed and I enjoy the harvest so much. My perennial flowers are enjoyable because they brighten up my home and it feels like finding secret treasure when they bloom. But I do have an emotional attachment to some of my plants, this lilac included.  It made a long journey to Boston from Windsor, New York.  When my parents decided to sell the home I grew up in, I took a few bits of memorabilia: -a forsythia bush I gave my father one year for his birthday -an indigo I gave him for father’s day that I had purchased from The New England Wildflower Association -a lupine, because my mother and I …

a week of spring: forsythia

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Thursday I really do despise television.  I’ve been called pretentious for saying those words but I can’t help it.  Sometimes I do watch old episodes of Law & Order or CSI (I’m a crime novel junkie, so these shows do appeal to me).  If I’m ill, I’ll watch really terrible Lifetime made-for-TV movies with the hope of falling asleep.  Normally, TV just makes me feel like I’ve wasted time and I’d honestly rather listen to music.  The last time I really got into a TV show, it was The Pillars of the Earth miniseries, which is based on one of my favorite books. Whenever people are talking about new TV shows, I usually glaze over…until my mother somehow recently got me hooked on American Idol.  Tonight, I found myself asking Chris to take a break from his hockey game so that I could see who got kicked off Idol this week.  He did it with a faux scowl (and all the sports-loving men reading this probably think I’m horrible) , but who can argue with …

a week of spring: garlic

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Wednesday I just got back from dinner at La Siesta.  I am happily full of a vegetarian burrito, tortilla chips, salsa, and of course SANGRIA (so pardon any typos). It was so nice to have a little impromptu date with Chris. In honor of Mexican food, date night, and a little spice, I’m sharing a photo of my sprouting garlic.  Honestly, the garlic wasn’t in the plan because I didn’t think it would come up.  However, I’m so excited at the prospect of having my own fresh garlic this summer because we will definitely use it and love it.  We use garlic in just about everything.

a week of spring: daffodil

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Tuesday Today, I did something really indulgent and unplanned after work.  I got a facial.  Let me tell you, it was heaven.  We have to remember to be good to ourselves.  That could be reading a good book with a glass of wine to sip, taking a bath with lots of candles lit, going for a power walk on a sunny day, cooking a new vegetarian meal, taking a yoga class, going on a hike, writing in a journal (or on a blog!), or whatever it is that makes you happy and relaxed.  I’m just listing the things that make me happy of course. My face feels bright and sunny, so I’ll share a photo of a daffodil outside that is radiant.  I just planted daffodil bulbs last fall for the first time, so this is truly my very first one to bloom ever. A poem by Wordsworth dedicated solely to this lovely flower: Daffodils I wander’d lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw …

a week of spring: tulip

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Monday I walked in the door tonight and dinner was made!  I have to confess something and you can’t tell my parents:  I love brussel sprouts.  Add a little olive oil and some creative spices (Chris used a spice mixture from Oleana, the most amazing restaurant ever), and these little nutritious bundles taste so delicious (and load you up with Vitamin C, A, B6 and other great stuff). Today (ahem–meatless Monday might I remind you), I would like to share with you a photo of one of my revered tulips.  It is oh so close to blooming, yet beautiful even without the color.  Tulips are like graceful sculptures with their long, sweeping leaves.  Their colors are dramatic and, sadly, short-lived.  I think this is what makes them special and what makes us enjoy them so very much.  They are little reminders to enjoy the important moments in life, even if they don’t last long.