The Vegetarian Accountant's Garden
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Country & Rural Garden News (13)Newspapers (6)Other Gardening News (A-J) (29)Other Gardening News (K-Z) (30)Let the Christmas cookie baking begin! Here are the first try for the season -- raspberry pinwheels. Quite good, but I need to work on my jellying and rolling technique.... ... So... I still have many photos from over the summer from the camera phone to publish. Since it involves both girls, I guess I will use my blog (that way I can avoid describing how horrid my back yard looks right now)... Our patio garden is doing exceptionally well this year, thanks to my little garden helpers. In addition to the front landscaping project, we are trying to grow more of our own produce at home. I wish I could say that it was more productive, but at least the girls are getting a lesson in farming... What have I been doing with my time?!?! One project this summer was to remove the lawn in the front of the house. There were several reasons behind this decision. First, we are being asked to conserve water... More photographs from our recent day trip to Yosemite National Park: As you can probably tell, all of these shots were taken from the valley floor. We didn't do any adventurous hikes up to half-dome or bridalveil, as that seems darn near impossible with two little ones in tow, but we did walk all around the valley floor on the wonderful paved bicycle paths... I love Springtime. And I love the proliferation of large, perennial wildflowers in the back yard. I am still struggling to fight off the weeds and blackberries, but their presence is offset by a tremendous sea of poppies and daisies... It wouldn't feel like Spring around here without the prolific iris blooms in the back yard. This is the best time of year for the yard, and these are my favorite flowers.... ... Rudy sneaks in a photograph of me, out in the garden, pulling weeds. This isn't momentous or interesting, except that I had the girls outside while I was gardening. Now that is amazing!Elizabeth and Helen took turns playing with the dump truck and the tricycle out on the back lawn... Say it ain't so!... Merry Christmas......and a happy New Year to all! ... Rain Delay: ... Now for some serious back yard business - terracing the hill under the Oak tree that keeps most of my iris. I've become increasingly frustrated with trying to keep this area clean, weed-free and properly maintained... Cookies, Part II:Elizabeth carefully decorated each and every cookie. We lost most of the sprinkles and colored sugar, but it sure was worth it to have so much fun. The evening ended with a sampling of the cookies between Elizabeth, Mommy and Helen... Cookies, Part I:Elizabeth helped me cut out gingerbread cookies this year. She's become quite interested about the doings in the kitchen, and asks to watch or help most times I am working in there. She's old enough now to roll out the dough and cut it into shapes (with a little help from Mommy)... The Beginning... Elizabeth and Helen began the day's entertainment by watching "Teletubbies" on YouTube. When they tired of that, Helen began experimenting with the computer - "Are you sure you want to eject the boot disk 'Betty HD'?" Glad we caught that one in time! The Middle... Is there anything more mysterious than a door in a stone wall, covered with ivy?... ... Yesterday, Tuesday, our only goals were to visit the library and (for me) catch up on some household accounting. I did complete the accounting goals, but we were unable to go to the library, as a naughty little girl pushed her sister and was sent to her room... Time is so short these days, it seems. I've been meaning to write to friends and family for so long, but can hardly managed to keep up with my everyday life - which of course, now includes two toddlers, eager to explore the world... I'm starting to get a bit annoyed at the marketing buzz around "global warming" and being "environmentally friendly." And it is marketing, folks. 10 years ago, the mainstream media and the auto companies were peddling gas-guzzling, tipsy SUVs as the latest craze... Elizabeth and Helen's new room: Elizabeth was particularly impressed. After viewing the new yellow and orange walls she said, "Neat" and then, "That's amazing." She spends more time in her room, playing on her bed with her puzzles, books, or stuffed animals... The girls and I visited Big Trees State Park this weekend, just East of Copperopolis. These trees amaze me; they have survived hundreds or thousands of years, through fire, drought, frost, and rain. Of the large Sequoia Redwoods, their root structure can extend over an acre...
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