Meet Casper our cat. We brought him home in May, 12 years ago. Casper isn’t your average mouse hunter, or for that matter any kind of hunter. I’m right sure he thinks he is human….you know, the hunt is done by us, the, well owners? Or servants? Most times you will find him in a basket, bucket, pot, or in the new box of bulbs that just arrived at the store. He requires 23 hours of sleep (and that’s a full day of work) and wastes no time exhausting himself chasing birds. This leaves him with 60 minutes to care for what he finds important. Likely for grooming, eating, grooming and eating. I do believe he is a bit of a snotty cat. If you do see him under the bird feeders it’s only a short time of entertainment to only get excited and then quickly fall fast asleep with never making one movement towards a bird. He has been known multiple times to be a foster mother to little chicks, letting them snuggle right into his fur while grooming their little down bodies. Does he mind or think umm, lunch? Nope! If you have ever heard of a an animal that wouldn’t hurt a fly…..It had to be Casper. Follow up on Casper adventures (sleeping) in the garden.
Author Archives: Ali
Harvest of Leeks
The harvest of leeks has begun. I start harvest in March and can harvest into summer. Planting starts early. Seeds are started in Mid-August around here and then once they reach 12 inches around November they get transplanted to another spot in the garden that has been well amended. I use a dibbler, pushing a hole about 6 inches deep. Placing the leek plant straight up in the hole and filling in around so there is no air pockets. Planting them deep into holes like this make the white part of the leek bigger and much more useable. Leeks are great used in leek and potato soup, dried and used in other soups, stews or to add flavor to dishes. Leeks are like a mild onion and they are worth growing in your garden. Once your leeks pulled out you can simply start another type of veggie in their place.
Filed under Gardening
Growing Your Own
Spring Garden May 2011
Every since I was a child, growing our own garden was just a part of our lives, living simple, enjoying the harvest straight from the garden to the table was just a day in and day out event. Planting, weeding, watering could have been a chore, but instead it has been good memories and a lesson in providing for oneself a good start in life. We didn’t have the best growing environment. Working in poor clay soil and dry hot hot long summer months made it challenge to grow just about anything. Bugs seemed to be in abundance and weeds never gave up their hold. But no one can take back the times of spending countless hours in the pea patch enjoying the fruits of our labors. Summer evenings gathering carrots and eating them fresh seeming to never make it in the house for dinner. Fresh tomatoes warm from the touch of sun that we just bit into with a sprinkle of salt from the shaker that was kept out by the garden for just the occasion always hit the spot. Yes, gardening was set in concrete at an early age for me! I have the passion of gardening that some might call an obsession, but I can’t think of anything more rewarding and fulfilling to see our garden fill up in the spring with beautiful crops that we will soon be harvesting and enjoying at our kitchen table (if they seem to manage to get that far). Walking through the garden in early mornings making mental notes of things to plant and care for. I named this blog ‘Out Standing in the Garden’ for the purpose as this is where you will find me on any given free time, out standing in the garden.
Filed under Gardening
Out Standing In The Garden 