Quick Fix

When we moved into this house, I was surprised to find the washer and dryer outside on the back porch. I had never lived anywhere with this type of setup. At first I hated it. I didn't like having to lug all the dirty clothes outside and back again. I hated doing laundry at night in the dark. Eventually I began to like the arrangement. The heat of the dryer doesn't make the house hot in the summer. The noise of both the washer and dryer are muffled out the back door. And now I can reuse the laundry water in my yard.

I have wanted a greywater setup for the yard for over a year. I just couldn't figure out how to run the pipes for the water. I didn't want a hose or pipe running across the porch, and I couldn't figure out how to get it out to the fruit trees in the yard. The other day I noticed KC had run her laundry output hose into a rain barrel.  Perfect!! We had a rain barrel that wasn't being used, so I quickly copied the arrangement.

I was amazed at how much water I collected. I was also a bit appalled. As a desert dweller I am mindful of water, so reusing our laundry rinse water is perfect for me. I use NaturOli Soap Nuts right now for most loads. I do occasionally add a half capful of vaska Laundry Detergent if the load is overly dirty. I have a hose attached to the bottom of the rain barrel spigot. I rotate the water throughout the yard among the fruit trees. So far I have collected enough water for all the fruit trees in our yard, and I have saved quite a bit of water from going down the drain.

Garden Update

Apparently the chickens had some free time in the yard yesterday when I was out. They love the pak choi.

The garden is suffering a bit this year. I didn't tend it quite as I should have. I forgot the chickens in the yard one day and lost all of my baby greens. An early frost hit the beds in the beginning of December. Although the overnight temperature forecast was in the low 40s, apparently my backyard is colder. I lost the sweet potatoes. Both were crushing blows to my gardening self. It sounds ridiculous, since I can still shop the farmers'  market and my local grocer. However, this is the bountiful time of year for gardening; I should be overrun with greens, sweet potatoes and beets. Despite the mishaps, I do have a few winners in my space. I was able to harvest broccoli, chinese cabbage and lots of pak choi. We have been eating asian inspired vegetable soup, stir fry, and a lot of raw vegetables. There should be some kale, beets, and more broccoli and cabbage soon. My lettuce and kale are small but thriving. I am hopeful.

I put a few more seeds into the ground today, since the threat of the frost of last week seems to have passed. The tomatillos were hit pretty hard by the cold weather, so I picked quite a few of those. They are a huge surprise. I put my compost onto that bed and planted my winter cruciferous crop. As the plants began to grow, I couldn't figure out what was thriving. It looked nothing like the broccoli and cauliflower plants I was expecting! Once the plant flowered and developed "balloons," I knew. The rotten tomatillo I had thrown in the composter months ago had set seed. This means a few changes to the weekly meal plan. It looks like we will be having many meals filled with chile verde sauce this week.

Getting Outside

I love to be outdoors. When our family is inside, I can feel the outside calling my name. I want to take whatever it is we are doing into the great outdoors. Fortunately I live in a place that is sunny and delightful this time of the year (let's not even think about the crazy hot summers that run from May to October). Right now is our time. While much of the United States huddles inside buried under blankets, we can hike, ride bikes, run in bare feet, play volleyball in the park, and garden! It felt reverse for such a long time, but I have learned to embrace it. I love this time of year.

Gardening Update

While walking up and down the aisles at the home improvement store for treehouse supplies, I decided it was time to start on our garden boxes as well. With some online help, I head out by myself one morning to get the supplies. I originally intended to make just three boxes, but Dave convinced me to make six. In our climate, raised beds are not preferred, but rather many recommend sunken garden plots. Since we were not confident in our soil (nothing was growing in the yard and didn't look like it had for years), we decided to start with raised beds until our soil has been amended well.

With a drill, measuring tape, level, and screws I built the six boxes. Eamon helped a bit with the construction, holding pieces as I drilled. Once built I checked our local permaculture group for help finding a good soil mix. It was delivered the next day. I shoveled until I had filled the beds. The kiddos each helped with this part. Jasmine just helped dig and roll in the dirt. I have a plan for planting, but first we need to run a bit of irrigation to the boxes. I am excited for this next growing season. My winter garden in pots did not do so well.

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

Mulberries have been a wonderful discovery for the kiddos. Eamon and Aine hunt for trees and pick as many as they can reach. They then return to an eager Benton with their bounty. He quickly gobbles them up and the hunt continues.

Survival of the fittest

Our garden is beginning to show signs of life now that our weather has begun to cool. The seedlings are reaching for the sky growing taller each day. I decided it was time to thin the seedlings. As you can see from the top photo, the kale was quite crowded. My spinach is not nearly so clustered, and I wonder where all those seeds landed for both spinach and chard ended up.

Truly I hate thinning my plants, trying to decide which will remain and throwing away the rest. The whole process seems so wasteful. I decided to try to salvage whatever seedlings I could thin and plant them elsewhere. It seems to have worked. I now have kale seedlings in this little garden plot and two more pots. Hopefully I can remember to water all of them. Fortunately there is rain in our forecast. Did I mention we had temperatures in the 60's? I am afraid my husband will want the heat on soon!

Sprouts

Our waiting has paid off. We have a few little sprouts in our garden.

The kiddos and I check the garden several times each day to make sure our crop is doing well. Benton still yearns to dig in the dirt, but has resisted this urge. He tries to remain content with a small watering can. We hope they continue to do well, so we will have a nice little bounty of spinach, chard and kale.

Waiting

Although Benton and I only planted them a few days ago, we check on our seeds every day. I think we are all eager to see something grow in our small garden. I am trying not to yearn for our old garden and its splendor, although it was not large either. Benton wants to plant more seeds, so I am prepping some containers for beans and more greens or broccoli. Do you have a garden this time of year?

Do I smell?

Okay, I probably did smell, but that is beside the point. I was doing yard work this morning with baby B in the wrap and the other kiddos running around the yard. I was trimming and cleaning up the place trying to up our curb apeal or at least stave off anymore HOA letters regarding weeds. I walked into the street to get a view of the yard and determine what replacement plants we need. A car approached and I waved them on not noting the car. The driver indicated she was going into the driveway across from our house. Ooops it was our neighbor. I moved out of the street onto the sidewalk in front of her house. I was going to let her know I didn't recognize her car and was working on the aesthetics of our home when I heard the whir of the garage door closing.

Productive Day

Today we spent outside in beautiful weather. I wanted to plant the garden on the east side of the house. With help from the kiddos, we prepped the area and planted a few things - tomatoes, peppers, marigolds, eggplant, corn, cantaloupe and squash. I am so very late on my garden. I don't have high hopes that it will be productive, but the seeds are at least planted.

After the gardening, I went inside to conquer the kid's room. I removed the animal prints and hung a few pictures that have been sitting on the dresser and bookcase (Aine's birth record and a painting of a teddy bear done by my Grandmother L). I also hung their initials with a corresponding photo underneath. I want to get most everything off the bookcase and dresser. It would look much cleaner, but I am at a loss as to where to put the other "stuff."

The closet was my last project. I moved E's clothes to a higher rung, replacing them with A's. Now A should be able to reach her clothing. I need to find a small stool for E to reach his clothes. This cleared the highest bar for the baby's clothes. I sorted out all the clothes which are too small or that are for the cold weather season. I also sorted out the baby clothes to wash. I am sure I washed them already, but I can't remember.

Phew - what a day!!

Healthy Eating

I struggle with eating local and organic. I love the idea of a CSA, but we have had some problems with it this year. The food has been plentiful and mostly in good shape. We just can't seem to get through the quantity of greens. I had previously checked out Bountiful Baskets online, but was disappointed by the lack of organic and local products. I have a good friend who signed up and is very pleased. She told me recently of the inclusion of local and organic products as well as the hope that more will come. We signed up. Hopefully this will work until I get our garden back into thriving condition.

Here is a shot of one of our "baskets."(all this for $15)

Bountiful

We have signed up for bi-weekly produce through a group called Bountiful Baskets. It is not always organic or local, but it is fresh and economical. We really like the idea of the CSA, but it was getting hard to eat through all the greens and turnips. We pay $15 for a basket of produce. It usually fills two small laundry baskets.

This week we received:

• 1 pound Organic Baby Spring Mix
• 1 bundle of Chard
• 5 Cucumbers
• Broccoli
• 3# bag of gala apples
• 3 large pears
• a dozen clementines
• 1 acorn squash
• 1 bag of baby carrots
• 3 heads of romaine
• 5 bananas
• 6 baking potatoes
• 10 red potatoes

Gardening

I LOVE gardening. Don't tell anybody! I love seeing our vegetables peek out and watching the kids spot them. I enjoy handing Eamon and Aine peas fresh from the garden. Their faces light up when they experience the tastes. I am amazed at how well our garden is doing.
Our winter garden was great, however it is currently infested with bugs. We brought a bevy of ladybugs home today and set them free this evening. Hopefully they can do their thing, and we can plant some summer crops there.Our spring/summer garden is beginning to be planted, and I hope for good results as well. We lost quite a bit to the frost, so I planted new basil.
Here are a few of my favorite pictures. I am really happy that the sunflowers bloomed.