Updates... and News!!!

Shopping Spree

     Okay, maybe I'm a little behind on ordering my seeds... I did it though... Hoorray!  I went to one of my favorite catalogs and looked at it for a couple of weeks!!  I couldn't quite make-up my mind... I did a lot of thought, remember I have to be very thoughtful...  One of the thoughts is, that I am really excited to have a variety of lettuce..

1. Oak-leaf Mix                             
2. Curly Ruffle Mix
3. Heatwave Blend
4. Mesclun Mix
5. Grand Rapids
6. Salad Bowl

     I also ordered Nigella "Chocolate Sundae" I'm so excited for those seeds...
and some Sunflower seeds (the really tall ones) Russian Gray stripes... 10' to 15' maybe the HOA will yell at me but who cares...
Of course I did order them from "the cooks garden" catalog.
    With the top three, and the recent ones just purchased, Mesclun Mix, and Grand rapids, I'll have two coffee cans each to plant and harvest from.  I actually spent about $35.00ish on just seeds.
My Projected delivery date is Feb 15.... Omg! can't wait...

 Snap Dragons

     Why are they even called Snap Dragons,
     I was thinking that I would be buying some Snap Dragons to plant, but when I did some weeding in the area,  Guess What I found!!!, Snap Dragon seedlings....  Wahooo!!   But I do think I might buy some to go along with them...

     Not only will I add the Snap Dragons, I will have my Nigella seeds and four O' Clocks...
Beginning of March will be when I do those plantings... ( maybe a little sooner)... ha ha ha!  Can you read my excitement!

Lunar Planting
 
 
     So far carrots, bunching onions, radish were planted on Wednesday, it was a full moon. So Lunar planting
was implemented...  I wrote about how I wanted to learn the past time (?) of Gardening by the Moon Calendar... All I really need to do is follow the Farmers Almanac.  I love that magazine...
 Oh! and the recipes it has listed, sound fabulous tooo!

The Furry Kids UPDATE....


      So I have Really rough news::::  I have been so worried about my Piglet... She has been feeling unwell...
She has been loosing weight and not eating a lot and a bit lethargic. She is super grumpy especially towards  the babies... It is just not like her... She loves to be petted and loved on and played with... She loves people and I'm sure that having a brother and sister is a thing she would enjoy.. She wanted Mina to play with her all the time... Mina was just to old to play...

      Well, after taking her to the Vet.. I thought the worse... I thought the severe, worse thought ever...  The Vet took blood to check all the panels; kidney, liver, white blood cells etc... urine,and a pancreatitis test http://manhattancats.com/Articles/pancreatitis_test.html (well this explains that). I found this link, searching for what it was...

     But, the true result is...  She has Hyperthyroidism, she will be on medication the rest of her life. One pill a day... One pill a day to bring her hormones to a level of normal...  Although, I am so thrilled the worse was never an option... I am still sad that she has to endure this kind of thing...  She will be checked routinely for the the levels of hormones and blood work is the only way as of yet! So she has a long haul to get back to her self. But the Staff at the vet's office is uplifting and easy to see... So Rough News? Yes! But, News to work with! Very Easy..

     This is The Princess, We're talking about!!!

To (?) What in a hen Basket?

     As you know I  waited all day for the compost bin to arrive, I even waited to post yesterday, because I wanted pictures of it.
    Of course, after I  post a short blog, the bin arrived at  my doorstep... go figure!
  
SO!
         
             Without further aduex (is that how you spell it?) 

   Well, introducing my added work horse to keep my yard in check....

    Compost Bin From City of Mesa....

Compost bin/ Modified street garbage can

convenient lid  for covering and cooking

bottomless pit ( I mean, bin,  bottomless bin, for air circulation, Yea! That's it! see!)

   Not complaining in any aspect of the word, I think, the city had to think of something for these cans to keep them for hitting the landfill... Good Idea! Yes?

   Now lets see if they are to work as intended...Hmmm, inquiring minds want to know!




 *LOOK WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT!!!*


      When I say to **** in a hen basket, it really did go to **** yesterday...

   It was so Hot, (HOW HOT WAS IT?) It was so hot that some of my plants are turning into jerky..., 

   It isn't that they aren't getting enough water, or was really, to windy,  just look at the damage the heat has done to some of my flowers.

one day of heat...

Jus' can't hang! Get it!... It is in a hanging basket! 

jus' kiddin'

Honorary Jerkied plants, of any plant, I thought that this one would be able to hang out!

 

   One good day of rain, and Mother Nature decides to get payment!! LOL!




LETTUCE EXPERIMENT UPDATE


   So about two or three days ago I did a post on My beautiful lettuce experiment, I thought all was going well,

   Think again Partner...,

Some one brought lunch

   Oh!! Wait!.... Lunch was already there for them...

"Before" Mesclun Mix

"After" Mesclun Mix

 

 

"Before" Grand Rapids

"After " Grand Rapids

   Now, What In the World is doing this???   And In..  A Day?     Are they Crazy?  Am I? Well, Yea, it was proven....

ha!ha!ha!          But that is another story altogether...

   I haven't a clue what to do about this!  HELP! Any thoughts? Maybe it's too late, huh?



   I start back to a regular work routine on Friday, and my eyes won't be on this garden like it should be.. I just hope that it will be fine, after seeing this go on... Isshhhh!!!!



PUMPKIN and BIRDHOUSE GOURDS OH! MY!

   The two veggies that are being awesome and troopers through all this heat... are?.... And THE PRIZE goes to

these,

Pumpkin

This is starting to get size, look it's expanding and it is very happy!  Right on track...

One of birdhouse Gourds

   The bird house gourds are very happy too! It has reached the first row of the bamboo screen... it's right on course. 

   Hooray for them!.


   Through thick and thin they troop on.... their leaves are expanding on!!!
Can you hear me cheering,...

    Okay I'm not very good at it, but you can't quell my excitement......!

   So, Now, I have work to do, What you ask?  Placing the work horse in it's, ummm... stall, ya! Where it should be! lol!

A Quiet Friday Until...

All is quiet at 7:00 a.m.  (94 degrees out)
 

   I decided to give myself, Friday morning off, you know sit in my yard read a little, "tinker" as my husband calls it.. yada, yada, yada!
  I know it is humid, the air is heavy, 94 degrees at 7:00 a.m. There is a little cloud cover.

  For AZ, that my friends, is the best it will be as Monsoon season comes upon the last month.

  I am taking notes of the things that I need to take care of throughout the yard. I am cleaning up some parts of the garden that needs it.

   As I'm looking though the tomatoes, Look Who I found?

   I knew he was lurking around. I found remnants of him all around, but I couldn't see him at all.. Then "lucky me", I pushed back some of the branches to pull up old debris, and there he was.


What a little booger! I got you sir, I got you!


 Lettuce Update!!!
    My lettuce experiment is going well. I love how soft and yummy it looks..

Grand Rapids

mescalin mix

How they look together

  

   But I really want to show this flower, I'm not sure what type of lettuce flower it is But the color is so vivid and pretty!

   I have an on going battle with my Beautiful, spiteful Bougainvillea. Where it is planted, it hides the A/C.. I have to keep it trimmed constantly, or it will take over, At every trimming time, It certainly takes a poke at me. I think that it heard me yell at it, threatening to yank it out by the very last root it sprouted. Maybe, I shouldn't have done that!  I donate blood at least 6 times a year... But here she is..

  

   There are gaps from the freeze this winter,  In January we had a real bad freeze that wiped out a lot of things in the yard, I thought for sure that the eggplant was affect, but, Boy!  I was surprised, when it decided to come on.

    This one shows beautiful muted salmon color flowers or Bracts as it is called, I think! It will show some flowers when it isn't so hot and humid..
   

    The hummingbirds love to sit in the branches, there is usually a spider web that in between it and Momma Aloe, and the Humming bird grabs at it for it's nest and the insects caught up in it to eat. It is really fascinating to watch..

My opal purple basil is growing very well, I hope to be able to use it as a border in the garden areas...

   How pretty will that be with marigolds mixed in!!

   The visual  scene will be incredible...

   I think If I play my cards right, I think that I will be able to get some to transplant out in the front yard container garden!



   I will be starting to plan my front yard with pictures and things for this weekend... Hooray, how much fun will this be for meeee!!! 


    On to my planning!!!