Sunday photos: Rain

Easterners, are you sick of all the rain yet? Just remember last year, when we went 4 months without a drop.

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Here in Chicago I (Xan) actually couldn’t ask for a better rain schedule– it’s been a reliable 1-2 inches per week since mid April. I’ve barely had to water at all. Now if we could just get some warmth…

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Down here is South Texas we are seeing more rain than we have in years. Some areas to the west and South of San Antonio really got dumped on again Thursday and Friday…. all of it has managed to miss my yard (Sincerely, Emily.)

On May 24th & 25th we managed to get over 10″ – that is a lot of water….

Nope, not going to get out of the neighborhood that way.

We were unable to get out of our neighborhood for a while. we didn’t “need” to get anywhere, so that was fine.

No way out here either!

Things are dry here in our yard, so I have been back to watering. Storms keep popping up all around us, they just dissipate over our house (it seems) then build back up and continue on… I am glad someone is getting the rain in our area.

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Are some of you doing rain dances to bring the rain in or send it away?

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Sunday Photos: Pretty !!

Take time to slow down. Enjoy the beauty around you. Reflect. Smile.

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Pretty comes is many shapes. Pretty comes in many colors. Here are a few things growing in my (Sincerely, Emily) gardens and yard.

The flower from Salsify (root vegetable)

Englemann Daisy (engelmannia pinnatifida)

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This is the prettiest spring garden I’ve had in years. My “Narnia” bed in particular is a gorgeous mix of iris and columbine, with creeping thyme and alpine strawberries creating a fragrant carpet.

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What did you see today that made you stop, and say, “pretty!”

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Introducing REAL Renovations

Here at Not Dabbling, we suddenly realized we were all knee deep in sawdust and paint chips, so we thought we’d explore the idea of REAL Renovation. For us, that means DIY, sustainable materials, creative reuse and enhancing sustainable lifestyles.

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I (Alexandra) have had renovation somewhat forced onto me; I took my husband’s departure as an opportunity to downsize, turning my house from a 10-room family manse into a one-floor “apartment” with an in-law space on the second floor (currently inhabited by my daughter). Over the next month I’ll walk you through the painting, stripping and furniture moving involved not so much in renovation of a house, as in renovation of a family to meet new circumstances.

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For me (Sincerely, Emily), there is always a list of things to do around our house and property. Some big projects and some smaller ones. Since I am still unable to do so many things right now I will focus on some of the smaller “renovations” that are happening around here.

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You may’ve seen the renovations I did on my kitchen earlier this year. Just wait until you see what I’ve been up to outside!

Every spring brings about several renovations here at Tanglewood farm, but it seems like this year we’ve done more than ever and still have several in the planning stages as well! Many of the renovations going on here are on a fairly large scale (well, not huge, but large). Whether it is redoing a room in our house, adding a new feature in the yard or learning and attempting a new skill around the farm, I am sure to stay busier than ever this season!

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Are you planning any major or minor renovations in your life, this month?

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Sunday Photos: This Year’s Garden Plans

Spring has arrived in some parts of the US while other parts are still, not-so patiently waiting. Last week we had fun looking back at what we harvested last year. This week we are looking forward and sharing our garden plans.

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Oh, I  (Sincerely, Emily) always seem to have a lot of plans, but as you know, there was a big wrench put in my plans so far this year. My friends have planted peppers and tomatoes for me and I will get the okra seed in the ground in the next week. That is about it for my garden plans. If things had gone according to “plan” I would be adding tomatillos to my garden this year. I have wanted to plant them for the past few years, but it just didn’t happen. That plan will wait until Spring 2014.  Right now I have peppers and tomatoes already forming.  I am glad to have things growing out there.

Cubanella pepper 4-19-2013

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Tanglewood Farm is always abuzz with plans; some come to fruition, some shrivel up and die like a cast bug. Heh.

So far this year my biggest plans have been to try to pick up where I left off last spring. The weather last year was so atrocious that I admit I threw in the towel early. Okay, I planted a lots of things, and I admit I got to harvest a handful of tomatoes and some greens, but it was just such a bummer, especially after I had ordered and planted (and paid for) 80+ new berry bushes, including raspberries, dewberries, blackberries and gooseberries. By the end of the summer, regardless of watering, everything was crisp and brown to the roots.

So this year I have reordered most of the plants that died last year and I am starting afresh! I am also putting a lot of the young (wimpy) bareroot plants that I’ve ordered in pots until they are a little more established and until the ground is a little more planting-friendly. Right now we are soggy and sloshy from the house gardens to the back orchard (which, actually, is currently two feet under water!) so planting will have to wait, but planning… planning is always going on here at the farm!

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It’s killing me, but I think this year is probably a no-corn year.  I’m working on my rotation, and finding that without corn I have almost too much space, which I think will be filled with beans– boring, but practical (all the practical stuff is boring). Follow my gardening fits and starts at MyFolia.com/gardener/Xan!

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Are you planting something new this spring?

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Sunday photos: Last Year’s Harvest

As we get ready for the new growing season, it’s fun to look back at what you grew last year!

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Probably my (Alexandra) last year in my big garden has me thinking about what I’ll want to grow that I really use. Tomatoes, of course, but what about carrots (cheap to buy) and tomatillos (also have way more than I need).

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I (Chiot’s Run) was just thinking about this yesterday as well, looking through my old photos of delicious vegetables, dreaming of the wonderful bounty my larger gardens will produce this year. Here were some of my favorites from last year:

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I (Sincerely, Emily) loved all the peppers that came from last years garden, but there was one particular vegetable that  I was the most thrilled about growing last year. The allusive zucchini (courgette.) For several years I had tried and tried, and struggled and struggled to grow zucchini. Last year was a HUGE success.

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What did you grow last year?

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Sunday Photos: Close ups

Sometimes when you crop a photo for a close up, wonderful things can happen.

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I (Sincerely, Emily) love the world of digital photography, and I love being able to crop photos to come in close to really be able to show what I want or crop out things I won’t want to be part of the photo. Sometimes when I crop a photo neat things pop out and the detail is amazing.

This is a super close up of a piece of quiche.

I love the pattern on the dried outer shell of the loofah’s that a grew a few years ago. I am so glad I took some photos of them before I peeled them all.

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I’m (Alexandra) not crazy about fairy gardens, but I have to say, I love getting my eyes down at seedling level and pretend I’m in a tiny forest.

Do you enjoy the detail in close-up photos?

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Sunday photos: Determined to be spring!

Cold, snow, and frozen ground. It’s spring in the northern tier states!

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This is my (Alexandra) robin friend from many years ago. I used to call him the “god of the garden” because he was so clearly in charge. His cousin was kicking around last week, extremely confused that it was so cold.

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I  (Sincerely, Emily) grew up in Minnesota and Wisconsin and even though we heat up in March down here in South Texas, I still think about March and Spring Break as a time of snow storms. There were many a Spring Break when we would be flying down to Florida to visit Gramps and we would be driving to the airport in a snow storm or unable to make connecting flights because of a snow storm and be stuck in the airport (usually Chicago) for a day or two.

Robins are still a sign of Spring for me, but now instead of waiting for them to arrive up north, I watch them come through my yard in large flocks as they migrate north for the summer. I missed the robins this year, but I stepped out onto the front porch the other day and the oak tree what waking up to Spring. The sage in the backyard is also waking up for Spring and is sending up buds that will flower very soon. The bluebonnets are blooming everywhere That is Spring in South Texas.

What signs of spring are you seeing?

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Sunday Photos: 2-legged Friends

Last week we shared some photos of our 4-legged friends. This week is a whole ‘nother animal! 2-legged friends.

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When I (Sincerely, Emily) was thinking about two-legged friends, I was mainly thinking of chickens and ducks. but I have neither of those. At times we have a revolving door of visitors (humans) in and out of our house. The only two-legged friend around our home right now is my husband.

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What two-legged friends do you share your life with?

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Sunday Photos: 4-legged friends

Many of us have 4-legged friends around our homes. Some of them keep us company in the house, while others are outside in the yard, barns or pastures hanging out.

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The 4-legged friends that I have around our (Sincerely, Emily) house are cats. Cats, cats, cats.

For now, cats are all we have for four-legged company. I am glad they are around (even though they sleep the day and night away)

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Do you have 4-legged friends around your house?

*2-legged friends to follow on a Sunday soon.

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Sunday photos: line and edge

The edges of things lead your eye down the garden path, or along the hall, or into your child’s eyes.

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A line that leads along a fence…

or into the sky!

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The edge of this building. The line of the boards. Leads my (Sincerely, Emily)  eye into imagination. What was the building used for? How old is it?

The edge of the canning jar, an older one with a big deep edge. This particular jar came from an estate sale. Oh, how I would love to know what it has held.

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Where does your eye lead you?

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