The Sun Will Come Out Tommorow.....

Did you ever have the words of a song stuck in your head? The words from the song from the play Annie have been with me for some weeks now.....In the front of my home, this Lilly proudly displays its beautiful flower in a grouping of many just like it. From the front elevation of my home there is no evidence that nature has blown through and caused a total "upset" to my garden plans. On March 30, 2010 a tornado/twister touched down directly on my back yard, literally lifting it 3 foot up in the air and depositing it down on it's side. This did not effect any of my neighbors properties. They still have heavily treed yards, as I did, except for my side neighbor who had two trees come down right into my bedroom roof and screened patio. I write this post now for me. as I believe it is part of my personal process to deal with this event......I guess I can call it the grieving process.

I am not writing this complaining because I know just how lucky I am. I was home at the time this happened, got my 3 dogs and got into the closet until the crashing noise and shaking of the home stopped. We are all safe, not my roof, not my yard, but what is really important is safe! Nestled under Majestic Oaks in a park- like setting used to describe my back yard. Sounds like a Real Estate phrase, doesn't it? But, this was how I would have described my back yard before, after all gardening is one of my true passions.

I remember wishing that we would get some heavy rain to clean up and finish off the mess and droppings from the oak trees, which always got so annoying for several weeks each spring. Now here is a big lesson on being very specific on what we ask for. I never meant to eliminate totally all my Oak trees, just the droppings!!! As I begin to clean up the mess, I am thankful that my little Gossypium Barbadense (Egyptian Cotton tree), has survived the storm and is hanging on. I could see through all the rubble that it was still standing upright and had not gotten crushed. I was thrilled! But needless to say, when the "downed trees" were being cut up to remove one fell on it and it snapped in half. But this little tree is a survivor, I cut it back and protected it from being pulled out as a branch sticking up, and it is again getting some new growth.

Today I spent several hours out doing some more clean up. Buried under some overgrown plants in the one area of my yard that did not get crushed, I found this Orchid in bloom, what a wonderful surprise. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, it just took me some time to get here.

I am still "negotiating" with the insurance company on what will be paid to complete repairs to my home. I have had to hire an Independent Insurance Adjuster to negotiate for me just as you would have an attorney represent you on other issues. The first payment sent was returned and it is looking now like the payment for repairs will exceed 4X that original offer. Yes I have learned alot from this experience. First thing...never accept the first offer!!

This is part of what I did out side this afternoon. You are looking at my raised "Edible beds". Those little Everglade tomatos are still thriving, despite being crushed, almost to death. The last several weeks prior to this storm, I was thinning them out and giving tomato plants away, to everyone....maybe that was an omen.

Back to the fresh mulch. It is actually the mulch from one of the tree stump grindings. So as I shoveled the mulch into my wheel barrel, moved it across the yard, and put it down, I had the feeling as if I was distributing ashes from a love onto their final resting destination. Which it was in reality, this tree was my oak that was covered about 5 foot all around the base and about 12 foot up with Bromeliads. I originally planted about four plants around the base when I moved in to my home in 2002 to see what would happen.

This storm caused a loss, but again I will say I am lucky. The damage could have been much more horrific like so many others have suffered this year with tornadoes/twisters. I will have to get used to no shade and the beating hot sun. It will take time to replant and make my back yard pretty again, as I will! But I know it will never be the same and I know that. Out with the shade loving plants and as you can see I have gotten my first 3 cactus plants.

I will be fine, we will all be fine, but my message here is appreciate all that you have, and take photographs, because in the blink of an eye all can change....................

Does all this color indicate the arrival of spring?

I certainly hope so.....notice the insect getting nector from this flower.

I have not planted any thing new in my yard this season, all that is springing up in bloom here have been planted from previous seasons.

When I trimmed away all the old brown and dead branches from the surface, look at what I uncovered hidden away.

This is the flower from "Mother of Thousands", a succulent. Plants from this family are usually unusual and interesting.

And much to my surprise they all came back.......proving again you can grow plants anywhere and I do!

A healty tomato plant sending out flowers. One of many-many that reseeded itself from last season. The "critter" I have been battleing, that ate almost everything in my edible gardens, obviously does not care for tomato plants.....yet.

No color here, but as I walked my yard today, I was thrilled to see my Gossypium Barbadense (Egyptian Cotton tree), break out with leaves and doing well....for several reasons. This plant is a native of Peru and I started it from a seed that I collected on a visit to the Polansek Gardens and Museum in Winter Park, Florida. I did not know that I would be successful to propagate it, to begin with and I did not think it would tolerate and survive the severe cold temperatures we experienced in Central Florida for several evenings. Also, I am told that the garden no longer has it's tree where I obtained the seeds.

There is always a surprise in store in my garden and as usual, I welcome it.

Look What I Caught.....

With a face like this does he look guilty? In a previous post Who has been eating my arugula, I talked about my vegetable garden invasions in the night. Yes, some critter was stealing my produce right from under my nose while I was sleeping. I had no choice I borrowed a Have a Heart Trap from a friend's dad and set it out in my garden baited. I thought that I might catch the critter who was guilty. I caught a squirrel!! My dogs went bonkers when they saw it. My first thought was that it was impossible to be a squirrel doing this....I have thousands in my yard. They breed, like rabbits, up in my huge Oak trees that fill my yard. They are a nuisance in many ways, they eat all the bird food that I put out so I had to stop, and they torment my 3 dogs constantly, especially Niko, my biggest hunter. I think I was hoping to catch a Rabbit or something cute.

As I again took a glimpse at my plants chewed down to just nubs, I just knew I needed to move forward with my plan and remove what I caught from my yard, however I was starting to feel guilty about it. Could this squirrel be a mom with a nest of babies up in the tree close by? I do not know how you would tell the sex of a squirrel, however as I stopped to take the photo of my little trapped critter, I did notice that he looked like he could be a boy squirrel therefore I was not responsible for potential orphan squirrels. This should make me feel a bit better right? Wrong, as we got into my car to relocate the little fella, I thought about in my heart, I don't believe he is the guilty party, but just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and he fell for the bait! I know I surely have been in that position. I found my self talking to him about the ride in the car as he sat in the trap in my back seat. I knew for sure this had to be his first ride. I put on the music for him to calm him...some Jazz. It would be alright, I was taking him to a better neighborhood about a mile away and across 2 major roads. Upon arrival to my destination, I removed the trap from my car and I opened the door releasing him on the Seminole County Bike trail. He was gone in a New York minute and up a tree. Good luck little guy, I hope you are happy in your new digs.

Back to my problem, When I arrived back home, I did speak to one of my neighbors the one behind me, who told me that she has been seeing rats in her yard and her hubby was trapping them. Now I know for sure, who is stealing my veggies and that makes sense! I just have to decide if I want to deal with attempting to trap them and deal with it if I do, or just do nothing and see what happens.

The " Have a Heart Trap" is the most humane trap to catch an animal without causing them any harm or danger. They come in various sizes, are fairly easy to use and can be used over and over.

Attention all single gals! Could this be the breakthrough we are waiting for?

As a Seminole County, Florida, Master Gardener I attend a monthly meeting of this group. Sometimes we have invited speakers, we exchange ideas, plant cuttings and sometimes even trade seeds to start our own plants. At last week's meeting, I was given two packs of seeds. You are viewing the front of the package above. Could this be for real, Grow Your Own Boy Toy?? Not a bad concept at all. Give this package of seeds to this girl that still believes in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and watch me plant them following the growing tips.

Let's see I live in zone 1, per the instructions on the back of the package, outdoor planting dates, September-February. It is time to plant.......

So watch for updates, days to germinate 8-18 days.

Could it be, Grow Your Own Boy Toy??

May all our dreams come true!

Who is eating my Arugala?

Gardeners have been experiencing very unusual and unpredictable weather lately. In my own Central Florida garden, my Christmas Cactus photographed at Christmas/late December 2010 is just beginning to bloom. This plant typically in past years has been as predictable as the best calender, displaying it's showy flowers, as a gift, just in time for Christmas day. We were caught with little warning in mid December with a "hard frost" for two consecutive nights killing off and browning up plants, gardens and even turf. Floridians like myself are not used to this and as a gardener, I find this to be just so invasive of nature to just wipe out with one swoop my beloved garden. Below is what was left of my "edible garden".

As I moped about, surveying the damage, I did discover buried way in the back of my yard in a very often not explored spot, a Bromeliad in bloom. Was this a sign that Mother Nature was attempting to win back some of my lost admiration and wonderment?

So, after looking at my edible garden disaster for several weeks , as long as I could possibly endure this, I did break down and pull everything out and replanted. Ah a new fresh start. I planted all the "winter or cold weather" veggies that could survive another hard freeze. I planted several varieties of lettuce, celery, broccoli, cabbage-green and red, brussel sprouts, kale, beets and probably some additional veggies that I just did not think of now, in addition to many herbs in portable pots, that can be moved under cover in severe or freezing weather.

So here are my new little sprouts proudly doing what I expect of them. And I do check them several times a day. Even my kale and beets are coming up from seeds. My raised beds measure 4 foot X 6 foot, and were easily made by cutting 2 pressure treated boards in half, originally 12 foot and 8 foot. A drill and and some special screws and I have my raised beds to house my edible garden and I control the growinng soil. Yes, since the new planting, we had several additional evenings with a hard freeze and I just cover my raised beds with a full size fitted sheet....really easy. I would like to take the credit that I thought this out and planned it accordingly, but cannot. This worked out quite by accident!

This morning, I noticed that my Arugula was ready for harvest. There is nothing like going out to the garden to pick fresh produce for dinner. I immediately got on the Internet and found a recipe for Cape Cod Chopped Salad which looked very yummy, and proceeded to go outside with my basket and clippers to pick my Arugula. But.......it was all gone! Chewed down to just nubs. Who is eating my Arugula? What furry little critter is getting the benefit of all my work? First the weather then the critters.....

By the way, I will mention for any of you Vegitarians out there, I am sure this salad would still be yummy with the bacon left off!

Obviously the photo above of the Arugala is not from my garden. I have decided to just be patient and wait for my crop to regrow, which it will....and I will get to it first.

If you are not familiar with Arugula, it is a spicy little leaf, which some describe as bitter and others characterize as having a "peppery-mustardy" flavor. Because it is so potent on its own, it is often mixed with milder greens to produce a nice balanced salad. It can also be sauteed in olive oil. You can substitute most any green for arugula, but the closest matches are Belgian endive, escarole, and dandelion greens.

In the meantime, while I wait, I will admire my Orchid which is in full bloom and fills my kitchen with the sweetest aroma. But, I could not help to think that what I have experienced in my garden is probably how one would feel when they go to the refrigerator for a glass of milk and find a milk container empty!!!

In the true spirit of the holidays....

Food, family, friends and fun....

This past long holiday week-end spent at my daughter's home, we had 4 woman cooking in the kitchen. There were times, you would have to wait your turn to get to the stove, which is gas and I still haven't figured it out. We had as many as 17 for dinner on December 25th, with the food served, a vast array from many ethnic back grounds.

My overall favorite dish, was a Greek potato salad served on a bed of greens with sliced fresh beets, Feta cheese, avocados and tomatoes. Feta cheese in lieu of a large amount of mayonnaise made this Greek potato salad creamy and incredibly yummy. Unfortunately there was no recipe, so I will have to improvise when I attempt to duplicate it. This dish was truly too pretty to not take a photo of...so I did!



And in the true spirit of the holidays, our family complied! We ate, we ate.....and we ate again.

Mrs. C, your entry was truly the winner in my mind.

Spoken as I sit here in front of my computer still "grazing" on a left over Peruvian dish that I could not tell you the name of. Yum!!

Who has been eating my eggplant???

I guess I should consider myself lucky, as my "edible garden" has escaped the critters of the yard.....up until now. My eggplant has been healthy, producing and most of all untouched by the critters of nature, providing the main ingredient of many recent meals. (sauteed with ginger, green onions and lots of garlic, served over brown rice, being one of my personal favorites).

I guess those days are over, a thief of the night has found it's way into my garden. Two days ago as I looked over the garden in the early morning, I noticed an eggplant had been snacked on. I immediately plucked it off the plant and discarded it. At that time I didn't take it too seriously. But the next day....the same thing, with a 2nd. eggplant, so I decided to leave it and see what happens. The photo above is that eggplant the next morning, perfectly scooped out and eaten. At least the little culprit went back to the same one he had gotten into the night before and left the others on the vine intact. They are still much smaller. I really don't know what I can do from here about this situation. I consider myself fortunate that it took this long for the critters to discover my garden and I realize that I have enough to share, within reason.

Recently, my three dogs have been digging down into my plants and they are in most definite "hunt" mode, especially Niko. I think that they are on to something. I believe that whatever animal is snacking on my eggplant, is also residing in my garden, right under my nose. I will have to keep an eye open and see if I can solve this little problem.