Strawberry Heaven

If I had to pick a favorite fruit I’d have to say strawberry.  There’s nothing like enjoying a bowl of strawberries in milk…with a light dusting of sugar.  I love them in ice cream…with shortcake…dipped in chocolate…and even all by themselves!

Cat Fight – My Point

This is my temporary solution to the neighbor’s stray cat using my garden as it’s liter box.  It’s only temporary…a more permanent solution is in the works.  But this works fairly well…for it’s intended purpose.  I’m finally getting seedlings from the replant I did a couple weeks ago.  I know it puts us further behind…but it’s something.  One big downside with this setup though, is it’s very difficult to plant the next round of seeds.  But it’s a small price to pay to keep the cat out.

Royal Lessons

Of the butterfly kind!  When we moved here, we promised CareBear that she could have a butterfly be some milkweed…the food of the Monarch Butterfly.  She has watched over and cared for that plant all the while keeping a close look out for her favorite butterfly.  This last month she finally saw success in her efforts.  At least we thought so…

Cat Fight!

I am fuming mad right now!  On top of everything else I’m struggling  with right now, I have  been trying to out smart a neighborhood “stray” cat.  Technically he’s not a stray…he belongs to the neighbor behind us.  This cat from day 1 has decided that my garden beds are perfect “dumping grounds” for his crap!!!

Evidence of Spring

The weather here can be pretty unpredictable this time of year.  One week it can be hot enough to need air conditioning…and the next cold enough to freeze.  That’s not always very good for gardens and crops.  And not so good for Optimistic Gardener’s nerves either.  But I do love the signs of Nature’s awakening. Here’s a few pictures from my own little garden.

Eeeeeeewwwww!

I love my garden and all the joy and bounty that comes from it…and  there are very few things that give me the creeps.  I’m not fond of spiders…okay…” not fond” isn’t exactly the right way to say it.  I pretty much hate them with a passion!  I understand their benefit and those who live in my garden are tolerated and left alone…except for the poisonous ones.  They don’t get much choice since I put my family first.

Garden Hair Cut

Another step in the “Operation Fix the Garden” is complete. Last weekend we finished the winter pruning. We’re still feel like novices, but after watching a true Master Gardener prune his trees I think we’re feeling quite a bit more confident. I don’t have pictures of the citrus yet. Most of the pruning on those was shaping anyways. But here are pictures of the apple, pomegranate and grape vines.

The Worms Crawl In

“…the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle on your snout. They eat your eyes, they eat your nose, they eat the jelly between your toes.”

Or how about this one…

“Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll eat some worms. Short ones, fat ones, skinny little black ones…”

Well…actually they’re going to be “skinny little RED ones”. I am sooooo excited!

Pomegranate Harvest — Removing the Seeds

The red juicy seeds are the edible part of the pomegranate fruit. And anyone who has spent a warm summer/fall afternoon digging them out with minimal mess, knows this can be a tall task. But those delicious tidbits are sooooo worth it. They’re good for snacking, as toppings for salads and ice cream, and make very yummy juice and syrup.

Pomegranate Harvest

My pomegranate tree is only 3 years old, but we’ve already had 2 years of harvest from this bushy tree. Technically, the pomegranate tree is really a bush…but it can be trained as a tree, which is what we’re aiming for. Each winter/spring pruning season a few more branches are removed from the lower section (along with any suckers and dead and stray limbs). It’s amazing how much this tree grows in a season.