Sunshine and Summertime

So Sunday I slapped on copious amounts of sunscreen and headed to the sun filled garden. After pulling weeds for about 15 minutes I soon realised I need a hat. Went inside to get one and didn't come out till the sun was hiding behind the trees at 7pm. It's just too hot to get anything done in the middle of the day.
When everything is that dry, it's a wonder anything gets done. The dust kicks up and you inhale it while pulling weeds, you can't water because the sun will just evaporate what you sprinkle on, the flies come out in full force and the sun beats down of your face making it too warm to work.
After the sun had hidden itself, being outside was way more enjoyable. We soaked the garden, since everything was starting to look withered. (That's also a side effect of living on well water, you have a limited supply and people and animals need to be taken care of before flowers and vegetables.)
We pulled out the cabbage (Grandma is going to make cabbage rolls soon - and I can't wait) the garlic and the zucchini that was ready.
There are also some vegetables (some sort of squash) growing in our compost pile that I'm not 100% sure on what it is. It looks like the size and shape of Butternut squash, but its growing in the summer and is striped green not yellow/orange that they usually are.

So the different plants that I have planted, haven't started to show anything yet(as of Sunday the 15th) and I don't want to poke around for fear that I'll kill them.  Black thumbs run in the family- my grandmother was blessed with the talent.
I'm keeping an eye on them and my next task is to post some pictures on here.
More to come....

Starting from Seed

So this weekend was unproductive in the gardening department, only due to the fact that my Best Friend got married and I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I did accomplish everything I needed to do for that and the wedding went off with some minor hitches but nothing that anyone would notice. Except the DJ - note to anyone reading, when booking a DJ do extensive research or get referrals. This guy was not wedding music savvy. He played songs first that should have been played later on in the evening when people were actually on the dance floor , stopped songs midway through to play a different one and completely messed up the father/daughter music. Just a bit of advice, overall though it was a great night and the Happy Couple are well enamoured with each other so I don't think they cared.

So to make up for the missing gardening this weekend I went by the Otter Co-Op Sunday evening. (For those not savvy, it stands for the Co-Operative, and it is generally situated in a rural area because they are here to keep the farm community thriving. They specialize in animal feed, but are also like a large corner store in the country - owned and operated by it's members)
There I picked up seeds to start my own herb garden. I figure that may be the safest thing to start with since herbs have a tendency to take care of themselves. And then I can have fresh seasoning in my dishes rather than the dried stuff.
The seeds I picked up consisted of Lemon Balm. Lavender, Basil, Cilantro, and Parsley. I was going to grow dill, but Grandma has an infestation of 5 foot high stocks of dill - so we are well set in that department.
I will be planting all of these in planters of some sort and grow them from seed, maybe try a few different soil compositions and leave them on different side of the house to see where they may get the best sunlight. I almost want to try this as a science project for myself as well as learning a hobby. Maybe I'll enjoy Botany so much I'll go back to school again.... You never know!

An Introduction

I never wanted to move out to the country, away from all my friends, and the malls, and accessible public transit. But now that I've been here for ten years, I don't think I would be comfortable calling the city home. Yes I work in the city, yes it takes forever to drive down the highway and over two bridges, but when I get home it feels so nice to have my dogs great me as I pull into the drive way, to have the sun and wind dry my clothes and have fresh grown fruit and vegetables to eat or can.

There is also something to be said about the cathartic feeling of tossing an leftover apple core off the balcony and onto the compost pile. I'm just sayin' it's a great stress reliever, especially if you miss and hit the rabbit that has been eating your carrots. I can hear all your bleeding hearts breaking, it doesn't hurt it, but it will think twice before going into your grandmothers vegetable garden again.
But enough about my evil pleasures.

Home is the most relaxing place I know of. I don't need some exotic beach to get away, I walk into the fields in the back, lay down a blanket, tan, read, nap listen to music and when I'm good and ready I come back. Hanging my laundry isn't a chore, it's a chance to drop into mindless humming or singing to de-stress. When you go for a jog down the street you wave at each car that passes in a neighbourly fashion and they wave back, giving you a wide berth so they don't have even the slightest chance of hitting you. Or that everyone knows, if you pass by a horseback rider, to slow down and give them lots of room as to not spook the horse. It's that kindness you see everywhere.

But onto why I started the blog.

I'm going to learn to garden with my grandmother, and not just go into the garden and start eating the food like the rabbits I talked about earlier. I want to build my own, help with hers (since she keeps telling me that I will have to look after it when she's gone and that may be soon - her words not mine)
The reading will be broken and I may spend some time NOT talking about gardening, but it may have some relevance to something else, I can't predict what, only that I like to jump from subject to subject fairly quickly.

So sit back, enjoy and hopefully you'll be able to learn something.