Plant Pour-n

Here ya go, my dears:

The yard, in its current state this evening.

A squash the Vietnamese guy next door is growing. It will end up being 3 feet long and will possibly hatch aliens.

Cucumbers, being fussy about climbing their ladder to success. Giant-ass tomato in the background, and yes, that's the Latin name. Assus Ginormous.  Please also note my jean scrap mulch!

Sunflowers I'm growing for a bee-counting research project. I guess I should actually get out there and count bees some day, right?

Ginny the cat, looking startled. It's fireworks season here on the Southside.

Ginny lays in the yard, waiting for birds and mice.

My lovely hydrangea bush has turned shell pink.

What I love about these blackberry lilies is that they come speckled and solid, in orange, pink or purply, look like iris foliage, and only resemble blackberries when the flowers go to seed.

Non-Gardening News!

I'm teaching a class about making a t-shirt quilt with all those teenage shirts you just can't bear to get rid of, because you are a hoarder of memories, just like me.

Here's the skinny: July 16 and July 18, at MADE Studios on burgeoning Cherokee Street. You'll need a lot of shirts if you want all images on the quilt. Questions? Leave 'em in the comments here.

In other news, I went to Pennsylvania for a week and when I came back, discovered my green and purple zinnias had succumbed to the 100-degree heat and that my back yard had turned into the Amazon. I have pulled a wheelbarrow full of weeds and am almost done.

On the plus side, I had a ridiculous amount of fun in PA with my cousin, my brother and his girlfriend. I kicked it old school and drank until the sun came up on the 20th, then went to church still a little drunk. Obviously, God has a sense of humor, and knows that I'm good people, because he did not strike me or my equally-drunk cousin dead.  We're the ones in the middle, wishing it was 20 degrees cooler and that we had had more than 2 hours of sleep the night before. That's my mommy on the right with her cute short bob. Mine will be that short next week!

My grandfather turned 98 on June 1, so we had a big surprise party for him. I wasn't sure if surprising a 98-year-old man was a good idea, but he enjoyed himself and even managed to blow out the candles on his cake. No, we did not get 98 candles, but did put a lot on there in the shape of a 9 and an 8.

Things I am glad for today:
1. the 2 pairs of goldfinches that have set up shop among my sunflowers.

2. the gorgeous weather we've had. It hurts to stay inside and sew. I want to lay in the grass all day, reading and drinking Earl Grey iced tea.

3. my husband cleaned our basement last Sunday. According to him, it was a sleeveless t-shirt kinda job, and he said there were not a lot of spiders down there. He even managed to recycle the box our television came in......2 years ago. It's now second-life-ing it as a path in my garden.

4. I am glad that my friends who are going through rough patches right now are brave enough to reach out for help and to talk about it. I'm a very private person and prefer to wallow/suffer by myself in my sewing room. I admire them, and please send good vibes to E. and A.!

Garden Update

So, in the past week, it's gone from Pacific Northwest cold/rainy to St. Louis late July. It is so disgustingly hot and humid today, and just a few days ago I was adding an extra blanket to the bed.

Naturally, this has made Rabbitt Gardens explode with goodness.

1. The first peas are allllmost ripe.  I keep messing with them each day in a Hansel and Gretel way to see if they're fat enough.


2.  Cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, mystery squash, peppers are all a go. I went nuts and planted a ton of flower seeds in one bed where some Roma tomatoes reseeded. I reminded myself that I really love picking fresh flowers in the summer, and it would be very pretty in a few months.

3.  Last weekend, in the cool drizzle, I transplanted 6 or 7 different colors of irises a coworker dug for me.  I may regret this in a few years, but I LOVE irises!

4.  Discovered a potato plant growing from my failed tater-in-a-tire-pile experiment last year. Perhaps it wants a second try.

5.  The taller-than-me hollyhocks that I thought would be magenta are looking like they're black. This is a very good thing, because I had blamed Mr. Rabbitt for dumping dirt on the old black hollyhock cluster, thusly killing it.

6.  Front yard looks great with dark penstemon, pink coral bells, yellow coneflower/black-eyed susan (nobody knows), orange daylilies and bright blue anemones.

This pic is a few weeks old....will add new ones later when the plants stop wilting in the heat!

Oh, and the best update? 4.5 days left of SCHOOL!!!!!

Also, also,.....Green With Indie is rolling around again, and I've been reasonably productive!

Dig, Alli, Dig!

Do note that my name is going to be spelled correctly in the final release :)

DUTCHTOWN RESIDENTS CONTRIBUTE TO NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION EFFORTS WITH NEW COMMUNITYGARDENS St. Louis, MO - 4/27/2010 - Thanks to the partnership of Alderman  Shane Cohn, HopeBuild, and the Dutchtown South Community Corporation, on May 1st residents of the Dutchtown neighborhood  will welcome two new community gardens into their backyard -  one on the corner of Virginia and Liberty and the other in  Amberg Park - with a gathering at 1:00pm and a ceremony at 1:15 pm  at the Virginia and Liberty location. This effort started in May of 2009, was led by community  gardeners, and these two new gardens are the products of their  hard work. Allison Rabbit, a proud Dutchtown resident, explained that these gardens will energize and have a lasting impact on the  community, saying, "This will be a draw to younger people who  are looking to relocate for school or jobs. Not only will the gardens  benefit our neighborhood, but they may have a larger impact on the regional economy as well." The community is thankful for the partnership of Alderman  Shane Cohn in leading and overseeing the cause and according to  Bill Schuh of the 25th Ward these gardens not only improve the neighborhood aesthetically but also  communally, "I expect it will bring together neighbors for the good of all.  The future looks bright!" Indeed, the future does look bright for the residents of the  25th ward and the surrounding neighborhood because of these exciting new gardens. This excitement can best be  summed up by the words of community gardener Steve Jameson, "I can see the light! Grow tomatoes! Have a bunch of zinnias to  cut for my wife and neighbors! Get my hands back in the dirt!  Hallelujah!" WHEN:  Saturday, May 1, 2010 @ 1:00 p.m. (Rain or Shine!) WHERE: The Dutchtown Community Commons @ Virginia and Liberty # # # Dutchtown South Community Corp. is a community-based not-for-profit development organization which serves the entire Dutchtown neighborhood, along with Mt. Pleasant, Marine Ville, Gravois Park, and others. They strive daily to improve the quality of life and development for the residents within these city neighborhoods. # # #  HopeBuild is a non-profit that  focuses on building community and garden spaces. They do so through empowering underserved communities to lead healthy lifestyles and enrich neighborhoods through increased access to fresh foods, urban produce gardens, and nutrition education.

Sweetness

Yesterday, according to the Humane Society of Missouri's records, my sweet baby girl turned 12.  She is in excellent physical health and demands a walk each day.

Here she is, many years ago, after we hiked through Taum Sauk Park and made it to the highest peak in Missouri (hence the plaque). She had also just finished chasing a rabbit.

And yesterday? Forced to wear a velvet bow and a sign.
I can't even begin to describe how important she is to me and how much I love her. Maggie became "mine" when my ex-fiance ditched me and said that I either took her or returned her to the pound. I became a dog owner.
Maggie and I have driven all over Missouri, exploring state parks and natural wonders like Pickle Springs, the Devil's Posthole, Elephant Rocks and the Katy Trail.  She has been my co-pilot on the long 14-hour drive to and from eastern Pennsylvania.
("Welcome to Pennsylvania! Now drive for another 3 hours.")
I guess people who have children can relate to how I feel about Maggie.  She is one of the most important things in my life and I can't bear the thought that someday she won't be with us anymore, looking out the window, ignoring the neighbor's cats that frequent the yard, angling for a walk or begging for bacon grease.

On a less wistful note, I found these today:

I think this is brunnera? Teensy tiny blue flowers.
On the other side of the steps, one of my anemones or windflowers bloomed. I didn't know they would be so petite and sweet.

Now....do you have a sewing machine? Do you want some new spring clothes?
Check out the Swap O-Rama 2010 at the History Museum on April 10th!  Emily, the organizer, is hard-up for some volunteers to run machines to help folks refashion the afternoon away. Plus, the clothes swap! You know I love new clothes, and if they're free, it's even better.

Self-Pitying Post! Be Warned!

Today sucked. I had thought my good mood returned yesterday, and things today were going well until I went grocery shopping.
1. My grocery bill was less than 50 cents OVER the balance in our account. I was so embarrassed: I've never been that person who has to put stuff back. Did I put back the Take 5 bars? Hell no! The dog food can wait a few days! Why should I suffer a lack of chocolate when...

2. My serger has been stitching funny and I can't get it adjusted quite right. I was almost done with my Secret Project and then the damn needle fell out. After twenty minutes last night of fussing with it, I was sick of thread tensions and loopers.  At that point, I said, "fuck it" and turned it off and put the cover over it.

3. Tilted my hot iron to see what was sticking on the bottom and poured hot iron water all over my hand.

4.  Decided to cut out bird bits for bird pot holders. Brought up bin of Asian fabrics, opened it up and was overwhelmed with choices and couldn't decide where to start.

5. Motherfucking squirrel(s) dug up my planters of lettuce on the front porch.

6. Don't even get me started on the "I'm pretty sure I don't want kids, cause I like to be alone and I like a clean house, so why do I feel so bitter about people who are pregnant?" conundrum!

Waaaa.....poor little me.......

Since I just read an article about negative self talk,  I have to balance out the bad.....


1. My friend Kelly came over and I sent her home with 2 bags of fabric that will be made into super cute bags.

2.  Mushroom and olive pizza is cooking in the oven.

3. I found these today:

Bluebells!

4. Last year on March 28, I took this picture:

Here is the same view today, with no snow, a robin and bird bath:

He was splashing around and enjoying himself immensely. Anyone want some money plant that's coming up all around the bird bath?


5. I had the presence of mind to NOT pull up a mystery plant that I first thought was a weed. After further investigation, said plants are either Grecian windflowers or anemones. 


6. My sweet little arthritic Maggie will be 12 on March 30. She enjoyed a long walk today and some fine smells on the warm-ish breeze. Notice the pillaged planters flanking her.

Let's hope for a better day tomorrow!  Now for some pizza and Sunday flyers.

Birdz

There are two pairs of cardinals that hang out in my yard. Here, one of them sits atop the bird feeder pole.

 While his lady friend and a robin wait for him to eat.

The downy woodpecker is pretty brave and doesn't give a rat's ass about who is king of the feeder. I think there might be two of them also.

I cut some forsythia and brought it inside to bloom. My only regret is that I won't be here this weekend to see it open!

The sunshine and balmy temps of the past few days have really done a job on my winter blahs. I didn't think I was mellow, but I was noticeably happier yesterday. It might have been the odor of roasting coffee from Chauvin Coffee Company wafting through the air, or the delicious smell coming from the Vietnamese's kitchen next door. 
Either way, I'm happy spring is here and am excited to drive to Chicago tomorrow to see old and old-ish friends. Dan Ryan, here I come!

Digging In The Dirt, 2010

FINALLY I was able to get the garden started!
I am on spring break this week, and after a day of self-imposed sloth-ery, I worked outside all day yesterday.
Here's what I found in the compost bin:

Wee little mice. There must have been about 20 of them, fleeing like it was the Titanic! Glad I'm not scared of them.  It amazes me how they live all winter. Why don't they freeze?  And now I know why the neighbor's cats (Ginny and Peanut) sit, mesmerized by the bin.

As you South Citians know, most of our backyards have a cement walk flanked by a thin strip of grass and the typical chain link fence. Since we moved in almost 5 years ago, I have been slowly killing said strip of grass with a combination of cardboard, leaves, newspapers and whatnot. This past year was the last killing session I had to do. Behold the loveliness:

The green bit is a clump of magenta hollyhocks that I hope will bloom there this year. I'll put tomatoes, and squash in here, and give up on my dream of a corn patch. Last year was very traumatic for me, corn-growing-wise, thanks to the local wildlife.

Crocus are blooming, and there's one daffodil out front that is ready to pop.  I cut some forsythia branches to force inside.
Last year, we had snow on March 26th, but it doesn't feel like that today. Warm, balmy breezes, a dog sleeping in the yard and a corned beef simmering away. Perfect, perfect. 
Days like today make me feel I am blessed.