Winter made a comeback this week with cold and wind that would not stop. Today it is snowing. It will remain cold enough for the next few days for the snow to stick around before it warms and melts at the end of the week. The Dashwoods got to be out and about this morning before it began snowing and then they got closed up in the run with a cabbage for company.
Thanks to Danielle for telling me about a documentary called Chicken People. It’s like the movie Best in Show only it’s chickens and real people. It is magnificent! Take a look at the trailer:
The seed starting operations continue apace. Today I started seeds for cumin and black black cumin, French marigolds, basil, shiso, and garden huckleberries. The garden huckleberries aren’t really huckleberries like the woody shrubs. These are annuals in the nightshade family and you grow them in similar conditions as tomatoes. The fruit is only edible when fully ripe, toxic if eaten while still green. The fruit is used for pies and jam. I have never grown these before or even tasted them so I am really excited to see how it all goes.
Hard life being Waldo
The grow lights seem to be working great. The little sprouts aren’t long and spindly and all leaned over trying to find some light like they did when I only had windows to grow them in. I’m pleased so far. Hopefully they will be strong, sturdy plants come mid-May when I can put them outdoors. If not, I’ll have to figure out what I did wrong and try again next year.
Dickens has it even harder
Meanwhile I am getting antsy for the Friends School Plant Sale catalog to be released. It seems like it had already been published by this time last year. I keep checking the website every few days and am disappointed every single time. I should stop checking and try to not think about it. That way when the printed version appears in my mailbox it will be a wonderful surprise. The anticipation is getting to me though!
With the time change last night and “springing forward,” Waldo and Dickens decided it was all too much. Today is laundry day so I didn’t make the bed this morning and when I returned to change the sheets I found the cats had made themselves cozy. I wish I could have gone back to bed, I could use some extra sleep!
I wish I had a real life bike like this
I feel like I am doing lots of preparing for both gardening and cycling. Good preparation is important, but I am really looking forward to being outdoors and putting all this preparation to good use. Gardening and cycling are both constant lessons in patience.
Did I tell you Eggplant is one of all time favorite vegetable? And we have oodles and oodles recipies dedicated to increase the yumliciousness of this already yum vegetable! The cats are smart!! All the best with the training. I hope the snow recedes soon and you can start gearing for an outdoor practice soon!
LikeLike
cirtnecce, I don’t think you have mentioned that about eggplant before. If the seeds ever sprout and if they do well and I get lots of eggplant, I might have to tap you for some recipes! The snow should be melting by the end of the week, whether it is the last snow we get, hard to tell since we’ve had snow in May before!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know what you meant by ‘a cabbage for company’, but my warped mind immediately imagined a cabbage with a face, maybe a small hat, sitting in an amiable circle with the Dashwoods, conversing in chicken and cabbage.
The chicken people movie, well, what an I say?
LikeLike
Joan, ha! The only thing the poor cabbage has time to do is cry in alarm before the chickens rip into it. They are merciless. The chicken movie is magnificent!
LikeLike
Oooh, the chicken movie. Yes, please. Thanks to Danielle from me as well!
Have you grown black cumin before? I’ve never thought of it as being something one could grow (in the same way that, once upon a time, making your own hot fudge sauce seemed unthinkable). We’ve been using the oil as a tonic for a couple of years now. But of course cooking with the seeds would be even better!
LikeLike
buried, the chicken movie marvelous in so many ways. I have grown black cumin before. It has very pretty purple/pink flowers. We put it in a spice grinder and use it when we want a spicier cumin-ish flavor. Very tasty 🙂
LikeLike
You’re doing so well with the cycling training – I’m full of admiration for the way you tackle this. Do you read while cycling (yes I’ve seen people do that in the gym) or listen to music?
LikeLike
BookeTalk, thanks! It takes a lot of my time but I enjoy it immensely. For my super long rides I generally start with a cycling movie if I can find one I haven’t seen yet, or a cycling podcast or two. Then I turn on the music. I have a very large workout playlist that keeps me going. I am working too hard to be able to read while I ride 🙂
LikeLike
i suspect the people who read and cycle/eliptical train in the gym are not working at anything like the pace that does them much good
LikeLike
Hmm, perhaps, but at least they are exercising instead of sitting on the couch or at the computer so that’s something.
LikeLike
Thats true….
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m looking forward to being out in our garden too. I think we lost a few plants over the winter so I’ll be looking for our Wildflower center’s annual plant sale. I feel like we’ve been learning a lot about what works and doesn’t for our garden so while it can be frustrating the results are wonderful. A lesson in patience for sure! Can’t wait to hear about how your cycling training has paid off once you are back to hitting the outdoors!
LikeLike
Iliana, sorry you might have lost a few plants over the winter. Figuring out what works and what doesn’t in your garden makes for lots of hits and misses but it’s always fun, I think 🙂 I’ll be able to cycle outdoors soon I hope, April, end of March if I am really lucky!
LikeLike
Would you take a photo of all your seedlings? I am just curious about how they look–call me weird. Anyway, if the desire strikes….I would love to see them all! So, what did the Dashwoods make of the cabbage? Did they try and kick it around like a soccer ball? Peck at it? Finally eat it? Ah, the joys of mindless exuberance! And someone I see all the time at the movie theater went to Chicken People and gave it a thumbs up! It was a one night showing (they do a lot of community events on Tuesday nights with some organization as sponser) and apparently there were even live chickens at the festivities! 🙂
LikeLike
Danielle, I will take a photo for next week. They are all still quite small so it won’t be very interesting, but ask and you shall receive 🙂 The Dashwoods devoured the cabbage. There was only a golf ball size bit left when we put them to bed. What fun that they had chickens at the movie festivities!
LikeLike
Good luck with the seedlings, and with the bike race training – but mostly thanks for sharing that trailer. “Do you feel plucky” Haha, I’m glad I wasn’t drinking coffee when I saw that! I love people’s passions for things – I’d see this if it came my way.
LikeLike
Thanks whisperinggums! Glad you enjoyed the movie trailer and you didn’t snort any coffee 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person