Thursday, November 19, 2009
Blooming poet
Posted by Bethany at 11:14 PM 4 comments
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Orchard Rack
Oh, look at this fun storage for "your harvest." I don't have enough winter crops to justify owning such a thing. I haven't had good luck with winter squash. I've haven't yet tried growing potatoes and I'm not much of an onion eater. My Birdhouse Gourds would fit probably fit only on the top shelf. But it caught my eye in the Gardener Supply Company catalog, says great for drying herbs. I would imagine great for drying seed pods too, and flowers. In the off season, don't you think paper and stamps would fit nicely, or drying sweaters? Any other ideas for this shelf?
Here's the little blurb:
An Orchard Rack is the Time-Tested Way to Store Your Harvest
Years ago, people stored "keeper" crops such as apples, winter squash, onions and potatoes on rustic wooden racks like this one. The drawers are slatted to ensure good air circulation, and they slide out for easy access. For best results, the rack should be located in a cool, dark cellar or shed.
Store your garden harvest for months of enjoyment
Ideal for keeping apples, squash, potatoes and more
Perfect for drying herbs, too
Posted by Bethany at 5:27 PM 3 comments
Friday, November 13, 2009
Pear sauce, cornucopia, walks
What do those words have in common?
Sometimes it's hard to tell if you're growing up, maturing, getting OLD, when you have no children to measure your self, your life, by.
Walks:
Hi, I'm Bethany, and I take walks.
What is happening to me? After the walk, I did swing on the yellow swings for a quick moment, and jumped off without twisting or bruising anything. That's a good sign, right?
Posted by Bethany at 9:22 PM 9 comments
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Bragging rights

Justin blogs every so often and also has a commercial web site that's fun to meander through. Thanks for letting me brag. I'm so proud of him. He picked up a digital camera while he was taking courses at a community college in San Francisco. Started shooting and couldn't stop. Transferred to the city college and in the middle of his photojournalism courses, packed his camera and traveled to Vietnam. He fell in love with the country and people and now calls Vietnam home, but also has many opportunities for traveling, working for or selling his photos to The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine and Newsweek. Wow. Little Justin. Crazy boy, following his bliss. Leaping and trusting his passion and instinct. Allowing himself to learn and grow as he goes. Making his dreams come true, seemingly, even before he knew he had them. He's an inspiration to me.
Posted by Bethany at 2:18 PM 9 comments
Monday, November 9, 2009
Peek-a-boo Maury
Bunnies need lots of fresh hay to munch on all day long (Guinea Pigs too). It should be the number one staple in their diet (80%). Hay is super important for their digestion, teeth, nutrition and basic health (timothy, not alfalfa hay, for adult rabbits). This means lots of loose hay strands around the house (cat toys!). You can tell any house rabbit person by the earthy hay scent that often permeates their car and home, hay bits on the floors, hay hairs stuck to sweaters. We also get unnaturally excited about yummy looking, second cut, especially fresh bales of hay. My friend Pam who runs the rabbit rescue has a source for special hay from Canada that the bunnies go wild for. She calls in "bun crack."
Maury gets a huge bunch of hay added to the remaining hay in his little manger every morning. I tuck it in there as neatly as I can. Then I vacuum (most bunny people also have at least one shop vac lying around their house) all the hay debris, stray bun poops, etc... so his cage is tidy. In no time flat, he's pulled out most of the hay and strewn it all over himself and his area. He was having a blast yesterday, making a little hay cave, that he then proceeded to eat himself out of. One of my favorite things in the world is watching a bunny eat hay, pulling out the really fresh pieces first, slurping them up like spaghetti, crunching all that great fiber and green.
Here's little Tulip. Often one can tell something is wrong with a bunny by their hay eating. If they do not eat much hay, either you've bought them some bad hay, or something is awry. I can tell when Tulip needs her teeth filed, because her hay consumption goes way down. She's sick right now and on meds. Some sticky, cherry flavored, red stuff that I get all over the place when I give it to her each night. When she gets better, I want to try to bond her with Maury (both are spayed/neutered) so they can live happily every after, in bunny bliss. Tulip lost her bond mate, Henry, a few months ago and Maury has been single all his life, as far as I know. He'd love a girlfriend to hit the hay with. ;-)
Oh is it Monday already? Sometimes I wish I could just pack a bag of hay for my lunch. Munch munch. Happy day, all.
Posted by Bethany at 8:51 AM 10 comments
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Buried hope
Susie and I are both working around the mailbox. I've got tulips. She's got daffodils. She is talking to the bulbs as she's placing them in the dark holes. And she wasn't doing it for my benefit either. I'm sure if I wasn't there, she'd still be whispering little blessings to them. "Bye little buddy. You're okay. You're all tucked in. See you in the spring." She was also concerned about a monstrous earthworm. I had moved up the driveway by then and didn't really hear what the fuss was about. Gotta love butch women.
At one point she said of the bulbs, "I hope they make it." Without even thinking I said, "Don't worry, they will" and I dug another hole. I am usually the one who has no faith in the future, in things working out, growing. Susie had to teach me to trust the earth, the seeds, the process. I realized right then that I've come a long way in just a few years, and gardening has helped me have faith, to believe in good things, new life and growth.
So, we didn't plant tons, and the selection wasn't fantastic (Lowe's). I would love to take time and peruse fancy bulb catalogs, but I'm always out of money and energy for gardening by Fall. Still, come Spring, we will have some surprise and color. And for now we can hunker down too, allow a little rest, have something to look forward to, because we took the time to dig in the earth and bury those nuggets of hope.
Posted by Bethany at 3:13 PM 5 comments
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Glow dome


At least if I had some nieces and nephews I could buy them these useless, plastic toys. I could play for a bit, and not feel guilty. I mean, really, I suppose I am just trying to find a way to avoid the real blank page: the art journal, the card, the watercolor paper that all wait for me to attempt some color, some creativity, some movement. I'd rather the flashing lights, the glowing pens, the silly, kid stuff. Since every time I try to sit down with myself, with my supplies, I get frustrated and scared. More on that later, maybe. Or not.
But if I had a niece or nephew, wouldn't I rather take them for a nature walk, do some leaf rubbings when we got home? Or iron our leaf findings between wax paper? Buy them a new set of old fashioned crayons with the sharpener in the back, and a big thick pad of white sketch paper? Mold clay together, paint rocks?
Well yeah. I'm both. I get suckered in by the glitz and materialism. But I want to keep things simple too. That pull. It always gets strongest around now, around the holiDAZE.
Okay, I'm going out now to dig in the earth, to clean up the yard. Something I know how to do, something connecting and energizing and real.
Posted by Bethany at 1:56 PM 8 comments


