GET OUT AND WALKABOUT DAY

Today I started my in-depth exercise regimen.

As soon as my feet hit the floor this morning, around 6:55 a.m., I pulled clothes and a coat on and went for a 2-1/2 hour walkabout around the Park – it is a 1 mile walk to walk all around it … but I walked around it twice and then half way again: about a 2-1/2 mile walk.

It felt good.

I like to walk; always have.

Bob didn’t. He would walk with me and hike with me – on occasion: when we did daytrips that included walking or hiking – like occasional Flea Markets we would stumble upon on our many scenic drives because he knew I like browsing Flea Markets (him, not so much):

 

 

Bob would hike with me on our annual Mt. Rainier Box Canyon jaunts; and the sporadic local Dike hikes (more a leisurely walk than actual hiking) where we would look for turtles, throw homemade bread heels to the ducks, and delight in the baby ducks; Bob liked to feed the begging squirrels out West Side Highway at Riverside County Park in Lexington, Kelso, too – so he would walk those short trails.

And once, when we did the ‘just for the heck of it’ Mt. Rainier Wonderland Trail (a little spur off the Box Canyon Trail) while were doing our annual Mt. Rainier daytrip …

 

 

I have to brag that Bob didn’t mind hiking the mountain goat-trails during the totally awesome Mt. Baker-Leavenworth week-long-mini-vaca Bob surprised me with/whisked me off one morning as soon as I woke up - he planned the whole thing while I was sleeping, just as a love surprise for me (what a guy!):

 

 

 

And he did hike to the falls during the daytrip to Beaver Falls, in Clatskanie OR – just because we had heard about the Falls while at a Flea Market one day, and was curious. The hike was totally worth the trip!

 

 

One day we were just fooling around, taking a short scenic drive to get out of the house and ended up in Castle Rock, where we decided to do a spur-of-the-moment river hike ‘just because’ the river was there and so were we; he did it because I wanted to. But he had fun with me too, teasing me unmercifully when we came to places I refused to cross because it looked unsafe to me and I hate heights (I waded through the water rather than risk those perilous looking crossing boards): he didn’t mind crossing them though …

 

 

We also did the annual daytrip to Mist, OR, where we watched the Elk herd for a while - and was surprised to see an albino cow in the herd. Then we moseyed on to Fish Hawk Falls (which Bob would hike with me) on our way to Astoria OR, and back home over the longest bridge in North America and continue down Ocean Beach Highway through Naselle, WA, homeward bound: 

 

 

 

We planned a daytrip to Sunrise Trail in Mt. Rainier National Park because it sounded interesting, and we had never been to that particular area of Mt. Rainier before – I always wanted to go to Box Canyon, my favorite mountain get-away (the road up to the Sunrise Lodge was very narrow and scary – I screamed the whole way: poor Bob’s ears); the views, once we arrived at the top and did our hike, were awesome! We crossed a slippery patch of snow to get to the trail even though the day was very warm. Then we hiked that steep hill to the top where the snow blocked the trail - and I refused to go any further because Bob had crossed the snow and told me it was straight down; that was far enough for me. So he took the camera and took a picture of the lakes at the bottom of the drop so I could see them later on at home (have I mentioned what a great guy I was married to?) Then, he turned the camera on his chicken little and took a picture of me huffing and puffing - out of breath after than vigorous hike up into the clouds. We finished the day with a side trip to Box Canyon, where there was no sign of snow anywhere. Love my man!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I mentioned one time that I would like to see all the falls in the Oregon Gorge, so on the sly Bob planned the daytrip though the Gorge where we visited ALL the Falls in the region (Bob was a trooper that day – there were a LOT of falls) and he never complained a bit. My heart swelled with love to overflowing at every trail-head because I knew what a sacrifice it was for my loving husband to keep ‘keeping on’ (he had a leg he had broken 4 decades ago that never healed right – the surgeons did their best and they did manage to save the leg from amputation, but over time it started to bend outward and made things a little difficult for him). We started at Latourell Falls, and ended at Wahclella Falls. Bridal Veil Falls trail was full of stairs – steep stairs; what the heck Oregon? Wahclella Falls, was by far, the hardest trails to hike – they were in terrible shape, were filled with tangled tree roots people tripped over, and the loop was very long. But we enjoyed ourselves.

Bob loved waterfalls ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The walks along the beachfront and through downtown to purchase yummy Elephant Ears were periodic daytrips to Seaside – we didn’t do this trip very much: only when we really talked ourselves into believing the trip was justified, did we do it. There isn’t much to see or do there, and it is a long drive:

 

 

We found a Mom and Pop Butcher Shop in Yelm a few years back while day-tripping, and saw a sign giving directions to Mowich Lake, so we googled it and planned a daytrip to Mowich Lake on the backside of Mt. Rainier via Yelm. We totally dusted out the Toyota Tundra we had at the time, but we loved the scenic views once we got there. The hiking was difficult – but Bob was game to give it a go: I was thankful we had brought our walking sticks. Mowich Lake lies 4929 feet in elevation; it is a glacial lake, and the water is clear to the bottom: so beautiful. The trails around the lake were pretty easy, though damp in many spots. The trails into the mountainside, though, were very steep, pebbled with tree roots, and extremely difficult, and we finally called it quits towards the end because it just became too hard for 2 old fat people to climb. LOL! The sides of that trail were straight down to the water - the edges of the trail were dangerously close to the edge. When we got back lakeside, we pulled up and took a break on the 2 log plank benches looking out over the lake - very scenic, very pretty, very tranquil. we were glad we went even though we were defeated by that one trail …

 

 

 

 

 

Our annual daytrip to Tipsoo Lake when access is favorable, is a short hike – a wet hike, but short; so Bob didn’t mind doing the loop with me. We have been coming here since our daughter was a little girl, so I am going to say we have been doing this annual walkabout for at least 40 years. And it became a traditional thing with our granddaughter, Alyna, when she was a little girl too. I would play a silly mimicking game of ‘Billy Goats Gruff’ with the girls, stomping across the footbridge and reciting some of the story-lines – they got a bang out of it when they were small. Unfortunately, we never got to do it with our grandson, Azariah - I would have loved to see his face when he saw those mammoth tadpoles ... but that will never happen now. When Bob & I were at Tipsoo Lake in 2016, a mature black bear did run from the lake area straight across the road inches from the front bumper of our Toyota Tundra - it looked pretty skinny and I felt sorry for it; it should have been plumper than that in August. I always loved the view from the backside of the lake hike where I could see Mt. Rainier peeking at me. The deer are so used to having humans around, they aren't even skittish if you walk close to them. We had thought to hike the trail up Naches Peak, above the lake, but that will never happen now:

 

 

 

 

 

The walkabout at Crater Lake, OR, was also a small hike – the longest part of THAT hike was getting from the parking lot to the scenic viewing spots near the Lodge …

 

The hike to Ape Cave is between short and long; it takes a bit to get there, but not overly long. But Bob knew my fascination with anything ‘Bigfoot’, so he humored me. I even watch the old black-n-white Abominable Snowman B-movies. LOL!

 

When the Monster Truck Event at the fairgrounds took place, Bob didn’t mind walking through that. And I am enough of a tom-boy, that I didn’t mind walking through the over-sized boy-toys either ;-)

 

 

 

 

Longbeach isn’t my thing – I am a mountain type of person, but Bob liked the beach – and all of his childhood and teen years were spent at Longbeach and Seaside (mostly Longbeach), so I figured if he could make sacrifices for me to spend 80% of our years hiking in the mountains, I could give him 20% of sacrificial time at the beach ;-) Bob particularly liked to hang out at Wiki Beach at Longbeach; it was a special place to him, even though it just looked like a regular stretch of beachfront to me - though I did think it was cool there was a little sea cave at the base of the cliff:

 

The last place we ever walked or hiked together was last summer, when we planned the overnight mini vaca to the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim weeks before all hell broke loose here at Heron Pointe Park; Bob ended up in ER and then in the ICU Ward where he eventually lost all ability to walk … and he never came home alive again :-(

It may seem like we did a lot of walking and hiking - and we did - BUT it happened OVER YEARS' TIME. Every thing posted in this post happened over several years' periods.

Bob walked with, and hiked with me, because that is what I liked to do and we liked to do things together … but neither walking or hiking was his thing; he would much rather do scenic drives, which was fine with me too. We did a lot of scenic drives that I found relaxing and enjoyable over our 45 years together.

But I basically like to walk and hike. And I have not been doing either since becoming a widow December 14^th, 2018.

So, that is what I did this morning.

Bet you thought, reading this loooong post, that I had forgot to get to this morning's walkabout, didn't you?

I didn't forget.

I had to psych myself into doing it without him beside me and I got side-tracked down Memory Lane thinking of all the times we walked together.

This morning, while I walked and ignored the empty space to my right, I saw a couple of interesting things along the way – like this pink quartz, I spotted on my 1^st round around the Park:

I have never seen anything like it before - it is really pretty and eye-catching. And it is new in this location; it wasn't there last time I walked the Park in early Spring this year.

I have a huge piece of sparkling white quartz I hauled all the way to the pickup from the bottom of the Graysriver Falls up Fossil Creek road when Bob took me there one year to show me the place his grandfather and mother used to fish all the time – and he used to go there with his dad and brother Ralph too in his youth, but I had never been there before: it is awesome! Precious, my wolf loved it too, and we let her run wild there while we enjoyed the peaceful serenity. The place feels removed from everyday life, and there is a solid wall from the floor of the gorge to the top of the gorge of solid white quartz that sparkles like a wall of glass when the sun rays hit it. It is amazing to see. I spotted a huge piece of quartz laying at the base of the wall, so I wanted it. That thing was HEAVY to pack up that steep trail back to the pickup – that was a hike – we were all huffing and puffing and gasping for breath, and our legs were getting a workout too; but I never, for a second, thought of ditching that huge chunk of quartz: LOL; and I am looking at it right now as I type ;-)

My chunk of GRAYSRIVER FALLS WHITE QUARTZ with a small piece of GRANITE from Tipsoo Lake I picked up and carried home a decade or so ago.

I saw two more ‘for sale’ signs up.

Not sure of this moving truck is moving stuff out; or in …

On my 2^nd trip around the Park, I spotted this funky chair on a porch:

 I LIKE this! Speaks to my artsy nature ;-)

And on my 3^rd and final lap around the park, this cool looking garden art caught my eye …

I think I covered every street in the Park on today’s walkabout ;-)

I collected the mail on the final lap and was caught off guard by the significant rate spike on my home insurance premium:

2018 FOREMOST RATE FOR HOME INSURANCE

WTH??? A 17.31 increase!

So, I immediately got on the phone to find out why. The explanation made sense, and I hung up satisfied – and a little more informed about the policy; Bob had always handled that, and I knew he was satisfied with the policy, so I never delved into it: I didn’t think, at the time, that it was necessary. But now I have to be informed – and I was/am. The woman on the other end explained everything to me in a communicable way, and made sure I fully understood at every step of the explanation: I like that. I don’t like being brushed off by someone who hates their job and doesn’t feel the need to take the time to make customers feel informed or appreciated. This woman took the time to treat me like an equal, and to make me feel like I was her #1 priority at the moment. And I am thankful because now I am no longer ignorant; and I didn’t feel slighted or talked down to at any point in the conversation.

Elohim will bless her for her kindness and thoughtfulness.

I also tried to download and connect the drivers necessary to make communication between Bob’s laptop and my HP printer happen … but that was not successfully transacted. I am really a deadhead when it comes to anything technically complicated. But I am going to keep at it until I eventually “get it”.

I HAVE to KNOW how to make this stuff I own work!

((((BOOOOOOOOOOBBBBB!)))) Can you hear me send this fervent S.O.S. heavenward?

If you can, send me a little of your brainwaves in relation to technical know-how, so I can get this techy stuff accomplished ;-)

I love you, Babe.

Always.

OX

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN w-PARSLEID POTATOES Recipes

This is the best oven-fried chicken recipe ever!

And easy too ;-)

I have a lot of chicken recipes, but this one is my favorite:

Oven-fried Chicken Dinner; chicken breast eaten tonight.

I made homemade bread crumbs the other day (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/rain-has-arrived-d.html), grinding dried bread pieces in an old coffee bean grinder I bought at a garage sale 5 years ago to use specifically for blending herbs and grinding bread crumbs; and they smelled so good being ground and air-dried, I just had to have this chicken tonight. LOL

Homemade Bread Crumbs made from homemade bread ends.

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN w-PARSLEID POTATOES ~serves 2

¼ cup Shortening (part Butter) * ¼ cup Flour (or homemade Bread Crumbs) * ½ teaspoon Salt * 1/8 teaspoon Paprika * 1/8 teaspoon ground Black pepper * 1-1/2 pounds Chicken pieces

Heat oven to 425-degrees.

In oven, melt the shortening and butter in a 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

Mix remaining ingredients in a plastic baggie and shake chicken pieces in the mixture until well coated; place coated chicken pieces in the melted shortening mixture, and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken and continue cooking another 15 to 20 minutes longer.

==PARSLIED POTATOES ~serves 2

1 pound potatoes (whole baby potatoes or chunked potato pieces) * 2 Tablespoons Butter * 1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped Parsley

If using whole baby potatoes, scrub them thoroughly.

If you are using chunked potato pieces - pare the potatoes then cut them into chunks.

Add potatoes to water in a medium sized saucepan and cook until tender; about 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain. Add butter and parsley and toss to coat.

Tonight I ate the chicken with parslied potatoes … I froze the other portion for a future meal of Oven Fried Chicken with prepared Chicken Stuffing and garden-fresh Green Beans ...

Ready-Made Oven Fried Chicken meal; thigh and drumstick.

1st CORINTHIANS ~Chapter 2

The message of the Scriptures never gets old – it is always relevant to the present as well as the past.

********************

So, when I came to preach Elohim’s message to you, brethren, I did not come with pretensions to eloquence or learning. For I had decided that while I was with you, I would speak of nothing except Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, the crucified One. In fact, while I was with you I was timid and afraid, even trembling. And I spoke and preached without enticing words or show of learning, but I tried to demonstrate that the Ruach Ha’Kodesh has power. I did this in order that you might rest on Elohei’s power rather than on human wisdom.

There is, of course, a wisdom that true Believers have, and this we expound, but it is not the wisdom of these times nor of the leaders of this age, doomed as they are to be set aside as naught. On the contrary, the message that we proclaim is Elohei’s wisdom, hereto a mystery and kept secret until now, but which Elohim had intended for our glory before time began. It is a message that not one of the leaders of this world knew about, for if they had known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Truly, as Scripture says, “For those who love Him, Elohim has prepared things no eye has ever seen and no ear has ever heard, and no human heart ever conceived” (Isaiah 64:4).

These things Elohei revealed to us by His Spirit, for the Ruach Ha’Kodesh searches everything, event he depths of Elohei Himself. For who can best know the things about a man, except the man’s own spirit that is within him? And just so, no one can understand the thoughts of Elohei as can the Spirt of Elohei. We have received the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, not the spirit of the world, so that we may know the things that Elohim has given us.

And we tell and explain this mystery in words not taught by human learning, but taught by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh; that is, we explain spiritual truths to those who have received the Ruach. The worldly man does not accept the gifts from Elohei’s Spirit, because they seem foolishness to him, and because he cannot understand them without help from the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. It is the spiritual man who can understand all spiritual matters, even though he himself may not be understood by anyone. For who has known the mind of Adonai Yeshua, and who can teach Him? Yet, we share with Mashiach, His thoughts.

**CORINTHIANS 1: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/pauls-letter-to-corinthians-chapter-1.html

FRUSTRATIONS & BLESSINGS

After I got back home from Keenager’s this afternoon, I did a walkabout to check the rain barrels and my garden boxes … both threw frustrations my way and put a damper on yesterday’s excitement :-( (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/rain-has-arrived-d.html)

The rain barrels – despite ALL the rain that has been falling – ARE EMPTY! There is barely water covering the interior bottoms. WTHeck?

So … I called my BIL, Kerry, to pick his brain and try to get this thing straightened out. Are the gutters clogged? Highly unlikely, as they were cleaned not too long ago … and I would have been able to notice a clogging issue because the water would have been pouring over the gutter sides: not happening, so the gutters are good and should be draining properly. Were the rain barrels connected to the downspout correctly? Yes – Kerry connected the first 2 and I connected the other 2 exactly as he connects his at his home at the mountain; they are set up correctly and should be draining correctly. Then, I don’t “get it”: if everything is “correct” … WHY is there NO barrel collected water to speak of?

Kerry said he barely has any collected water either in his barrels at his place, and thinks that though it is raining – and raining hard at times – it is not sufficient rain, as most of the time the rain is falling lightly and really little more than a mist.

It is disappointing.

But at least the rain IS falling continually, and the garden IS getting watered – even if collecting rainwater is not happening as anticipated.

Checking out the veggie garden boxes, I was further upset to see that the neighborhood cats wreaked havoc in my Leek bed and in my Parsley container; boldly walking down the length of the Leek bed, and skipping over the parsley planting. Those little monsters actually stepped around the upturned fork prongs >:-P

I thought I had the upturned fork closer together than they apparently were. The other veggie gardening boxes were not violated – just this one. And the parsley container, which wasn’t critter-proofed.

Both the Leek planter box and the Parsley container have been covered with bird netting now.

The Leeks will need to be replanted – I have some transplants in the house I can move out there – and the carrots, Purslane, and Miner’s Lettuce will all have to be reseeded in the disturbed spotty areas.

The Giant Musselburgh Leeks are an heirloom variety that are mild and tender. And they over-winter real well: I like to leave my leeks in the garden over the winter … and because of the darned neighborhood cats setting my planting schedule back, that is a good thing because it will take that length of time to allow them to sprout and mature.

I broad spread my carrots because I do not sell them, so they do not have to be perfect … and it seems a waste of time and effort on my part to meticulously thin them out when they are pretty much a baby carrot anyway, and I basically use my carrots in soups and stews, in which case, small is desired :-D The carrots I chose to plant this year is called Mignon, and only grows to a 5” length, with smooth skin and a tender crisp texture – perfect for roasting whole alongside a pot roast, or a chicken; and if I feel like thinning at some point, the baby carrots pulled can be washed and frozen whole for soups or stews. Broad spread seeding works for me ;-)

Golden Purslane was planted ‘just because’ – I had never planted it before, and it seemed prudent to do so this year; especially since I am a woman alone now and need to pay closer attention to my health: my mental health depends on my physical health, and THAT is vital with widows; I think more so than with anyone else as a widow is much more susceptible to physical decline which affects mental health. MPO. At any rate, Golden Purslane is an excellent source of natural antioxidants, and has more omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable. This is very important for me, as I do not use doctors unless absolutely forced to (ex: asthma attack or bee sting anaphylaxis … both of which I have ‘toughed out’ on occasion) or pharmaceuticals. I live my life by faith, I garden and eat organically, and I use foods/herbs holistically.

Miner’s Lettuce is also a new thing in my garden – my husband never saw the point of “weeds” in the garden, but now that I am flying solo, I have decided to add it ;-) Miner’s Lettuce is high in Vitamin C and was a staple in pioneer living. Many pioneer homesteads were situated near a wetland area where miner’s lettuce was found to be growing. Miner’s Lettuce, once established in my garden area, should be a perennial here in the PNW, where the atmosphere is temperately humid: 

CAT TRACKS IN LEEK, CARROTS, PURSLANE & MINER'S LETTUCE BED!

EVERYTHING WILL HAVE TO BE RESEEDED. Darn cats!

LEEK GARDEN BOX COVERED WITH BIRD NETTING until I can get out there are replant.

PURSLANE coming up

MINER'S LETTUCE coming up

The squash beds are doing well too – I saw that the Spaghetti Squash, though not actually {up} yet, IS pushing its way through the hill soil in the Kandy Corn garden box :-D

I like yellow squash, but my gardening areas here is tight, so I decided to plant Golden Star yellow squash this year because it is a compact plant, perfect for container or tight space planting.

I planted Lutz Beets in the same veggie garden box as the Golden Star yellow squash. I love beets, and I like beet greens in soups too: Lutz Beets satisfies both tastes. Also, if for some reason I cannot pick the beets right away, the beet will not get hard and tough (worthless to eat).  I like how the beets slices too – with a light contrast zoning (ring) inside. Hands down, this beet is a winner.

I normally plant the purple top turnips, but this year I decided to plant Golden Ball Turnip; I don’t know why. Maybe because the seed catalog claims the flesh {never gets woody}: I can appreciate that ;-) At any rate, it is a turnip, and I am sure it will taste like a turnip.

And I planted the Joan variety of Rutabaga in this garden box also; I like rutabagas in my winter meals, and Joan fits the bill with its appealing yellow flesh and sweet taste. It also has a good resistance to club footing, and that is a good thing …

STRAIGHT NECK YELLOW SQUASH, BEETS, TURNIPS & RUTANAGA garden box

LUTZ BEETS, TURNIPS & RUTABAGA coming up

In the following gardening box, I planted Butternut and Zucchini squashes interplanted with Colossus Marigolds.

I planted Butterbush Butternut because it is another compact vegetable that grows well in a container or very tight spaces; the vines are only 3’ to 4’ long, and the squash itself only weighs 1-1/2 pounds at maturity; expectation reported to be 3 to 6 fruit per plant – PERFECT for me and for my gardening area:

BUTTERNUT & ZUCCHINI SQUASHES with Colossus Marigolds inter-planted

I saw the green Nickel Bush Beans are up in the Pea Gardening Box … as well as the yellow Soleil Bush Beans: I couldn’t see them over the box lip the other day, so I wasn’t sure if they had sprouted yet or not.

I love green beans … will eat them straight off the plant in the garden … so I always plant them and figure them into my menus. Nickel is a petit fillet bean of a French strain developed for upscale European markets and showcased at fine dining establishments – I have been growing them for as long as they have been commercially sold in seed form because I literally have had to force green beans on my family (I threaten to go on kitchen strike if they refuse to eat what I cook), and if they “have to eat them”, they don’t want to eat as much of them than they have to … a 4” green bean is better to force on them than a 7” green bean. LOL Nickel is a compact plant, so it can be grown pretty tight in a small space. Filet green beans are not as plump as regular green beans, they are bred to stay slender; and they need to be harvested at peak maturity (4” long) or they will get tough.

Soleil is a yellow wax bean, also of the fillet strain. This bean, however, will reach a peak maturity at 6” long, though it is a bush bean like Nickel.

Both bush beans are very prolific if continually harvested throughout the growing season …

SHELLING PEAS, CANELLINI & BUSH BEANS. Bonanza Marigolds on the side

SNOWPEAS, YELLOW WAX, PURPLE PIPIANT ROMANA BEANS. Bonanza marigolds on the side.

PATIO SNACKER CUCUMBERS coming up

In the Kandy Corn garden box, I spotted the Spaghetti Squash pushing up through the hill soil – it isn’t showing actual leaves yet, but it is showing a little neck.

The Spaghetti Squash is not compact – it will need to be corralled as it grows and matures. But I like Spaghetti Squash, so I will just have to be vigilant and make sure that the sprawling 5’ to 6’ vines are led to, and kept on, my side of the property line: I can do that. I have never been a negligent person: I have always been a responsible person. Ron Cook’s unfounded paranoia's, and Candy Scott's ludicrous and assumptive accusations last summer were waaay out of control (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2018/09/fall-cleanup-and-forgiveness.html).

Their ridiculousness and Candy’s refusal to listen to us, seriously altered our lives (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2018/12/widowhood.html).

I was a responsible gardener last year … and I will be a responsible gardener this year.

The only difference this year is that now Bob – due to the hell they raised last year – is no longer here to enjoy the fruits of our labors (he built my boxes and I am using them as we planned):

Barely seen SPAGHETTI SQUASH pushing up through the soil, flanked by sprouting Kandy Corn.

Further down the line, I spotted the Kalettes coming up. Again, this is something new in my garden.

The Russian Kale I planted last year didn’t do very well in a container.

Kalettes are a type of mini kale with ‘a mild nutty flavor’ grown on Brussel sprout like stalks. I bought Autumn Star seeds because it is the earliest maturing variety and I am anxious to try it out ;-)

KALETTES coming up

Moving along, I noticed more cat tracks making dents in my Parsley seeding. I broad spread my parsley seeding too, but still, the skipping paw prints will affect the productivity. I will need to smooth out the spotty spaces and reseed when the weather permits.

For now, I got some bird netting out of the shed and covered the parsley container …

CAT TRACKS IN THE PARSLEY.

PARSLEY UNDER BIRD NETTING; doesn't look pretty, but it works.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the Mascara, Tom Thumb, & Little Gem Lettuces are up; and so is the Deer Tongue Lettuce :-D

The Cosmonaut Tomato plant has a blossom on it too – a bit premature as the plant is not even 6” high yet.

I also planted a Nasturtium in this veggie bed, and flanked it with herbs – Parsley and Tarragon showing in the picture.

I like the quirky appearance of Green Deer Tongue Lettuce; it grows in a pinwheel type of shape, and the leaves really do look like deer tongues. Green Deer Tongue lettuce is an heirloom seed that produces a compact plant with sweet tasting tender leaves. Good in salads.

I like Brandywine tomatoes, but really do not have the space for them here, so I opted to go with Cosmonaut Volkov Tomatoes this year – I don’t know what it will do or how it will taste because this is the first year I have tried it, but it is reported to be as tantalizing to the taste buds as Brandywine: we’ll see. Cosmonaut Volkov is a bush type tomato plant that has a compact height of about 3’ to 4’. Its fruit is reported to be a deep orange with green-tinged shoulders and a bright red interior. The tomatoes won’t be very large, only about 2’ to 3”, but that is okay. As long as I get a reasonable harvest, I will be satisfied. There is only 1 of me; and I can only eat so much in a year’s time. I do not hoard food.

The variegated leaves of Tip Top Alaska Nasturtium is what appeals to me with this particular flower – I also plan to eat some of the leaves/flowers this year, and plan on pickling the green pods as capers. While you can the green pods (https://www.gardenbetty.com/poor-mans-capers-pickled-nasturtium-pods/),THE DRY BROWN SEEDS ARE TOXIC. I am not sure how {peppery} this nasturtium strain will be, but I plan to find out. Nasturtiums are reported to be a rich source of Vitamin C and also contains an herbal equivalent of penicillin. Score!

Parsley is a must in my garden. I like Wega Parsley because it is a sturdy parsley that doesn’t fall over limply, and it doesn’t bolt or get bitter no matter how long between harvestings – it just keeps giving ang giving all season long and will even come back in the Spring like a perennial here in the PNW.

I planted Tarragon this year because my supply I harvested, dried, stored and have been using the past 7 years is finally running out – it needs replenished. French Tarragon is only available as a transplant herb. At maturity it will be 36” tall. French Tarragon is strongly pungent with a very heavy anise aroma; and I admit that when I lift the lid of my spice jar, the aroma leaves me momentarily breathless (environmental asthma situation); but I grow it, harvest it, dry it, and use it anyway.

Shallots are hard for me to grow – don’t know why; they just are. I have tried shallot bulbs and they have struggled, and my harvest was disappointedly skimpy. So this year, I have decided to try sowing shallot seed and praying over them, Seriously – I need these things to G.R.O.W. because I use a lot of shallots in my cooking and they can get pretty spendy in the grocery stores. I am trying Ambition Shallot seed, hoping the name the seeds are labeled and packaged under will give them the ambition they need to sprout and thrive here for my ambitions. LOL These shallots will have the rust-colored papery skin over the white oniony bulb flesh. And IF they grow as they should – and I pray they will – they are resorted to measure 1-1/2” to 2” across the bulb. I seeded the shallots in a large flower pot because I ran out of gardening boxes, so I hope they will do okay there. Praying!

I also use a lot of Cilantro in my cooking. I have sown seeds in the house and they sprouted readily, so I am hoping that will happen in the garden too. I have sown Calypso Cilantro because it is supposed to hold longer in the garden that other cilantro varieties and be slower to bolting in hot weather.

My oregano is running low too, so I planted a white pot of Oregano Vulgare, which will be a dark green with pink to deep purple blossoms. Both the leaves and the blossoms are edible – the leaves being stronger and more pungent in aroma and flavor.

Ditto for marjoram … I never seem to have marjoram in leaf from when I need it. And it is wildly expensive in the grocery stores – if it can be found at all. Sweet Marjoram is what I planted in the other matching white pot; these pots originally held flowers, but the flowers were annuals and they eventually died. And I horde flower pots. So Sweet Marjoram was seeded in this one. I broad spread the seed, so I should – hopefully – have as much marjoram as I require; and then some ;-)

The shallots, cilantro, oregano and marjoram pots were all covered with bird netting too just in case that cat decides to skip across my containers again. 

GRRRRR!

LETTUCES, TOMATOES, NASTURTIUMS. Parsley & Tarragon in containers.

MASCARA (burgundy) & TOM THUMB LETTUCES coming up

DEER TONGUE & LITTLE GEM LETTUCES coming up

SHALLOTS & CILANTRO under bird netting

OREGANO & MARJORAM under bird netting. The pruned German Thyme looks like it is thriving.

Bell Peppers should do well here because their veggie garden box will be in full sunlight the bulk of the day. I planted 4 different varieties because I like color – and lots of it ;-) ALL the Bell Peppers will start out as Green peppers. ALL will eventually mature into various colors. The Wonder Bell & the Purple Star will mature into Red Bell Peppers if left on the bush. Golden Star will mature into a stunning Yellow Bell Pepper. And Milena will dazzle when it matures into a ripe bright Orange Bell Pepper. I will glean several Green Bells off EACH bush before allowing them to ripen into their mature colorations because the green peppers are what I use the most of in the kitchen:

BELL PEPPERS with Whirligig Zinnias interplanted (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/04/garden-planting-kickoff.html). Oregano, Thyme (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/all-new.html) & Marjoram in containers.

I have never been able to grow a watermelon or cantaloupe, though I know people who have – even in the mountains!

But there is a LOT of direct sunshine here, so hopefully I will be successful this year.

So far, my melon transplants have actually made it to their veggie garden boxes; and seem to be thriving. I chose Mini Love Watermelon because it matures in 70 days. And it is compact; designed to fit into the tightest of spaces, reported to {stay within a 36” space}, and will yield 6 ct. 7- to 9-lb fruits each plant. I plant to blend and freeze the majority of these fruits for Fall and Winter beverages.

The Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe is an heirloom seed and it also is a compact plant specifically bred to squeeze into a small space garden – or even a container. It is a short-season melon and will ripen about the same time as the watermelon. The fruits will be between 4” to 6” across; not much smaller than the cantaloupe sold in grocery stores. Like with the watermelons, these cantaloupes will also be chopped, blended into a juicy pulp, and frozen for Fall and Winter beverages.

I have grown the Jack Be Little Pumpkins before. The vines are reasonably short at about 5’ long. And it is a prolific producer of 3” to 4” pumpkins. I use pumpkin in many of my Fall/Winter meals, and since I am flying solo now, these little pumpkins are perfect for my recipe needs. They taste like acorn squash.

JACK BE LITTLE PUMPKINS

The Fennel is coming up … but the Celeriac needs reseeding; it has died out after being set out.

I have a lot of recipes calling for fennel bulb, and I haven’t seen it in the grocery stores, so I thought I’d try my hand at growing it. So far, the 2 I transplanted are thriving. I only planted 2 because I want to be sure I will like it well enough to eat it before going wild with plantings of it. I am growing Perfection Fennel because it is supposed to resist bolting – that is important in our fluctuating PNW weather.

CANTALOUPE w-nasturtiums inter-planted.

FENNEL. Celeriac needs reseeding & Parsnips not yet showing.

If the frustrating weather cooperates, and the frustrating cats are detoured now, this garden might do very well in the gardening boxes my husband blessed me with so that I may find enjoyment in them as well as glean plentiful provisions to carry me from Spring to Spring with very little downtown supplement.

This is a very nice sized full garden for a single person - or a couple.

I am thankful.

And I will feel Bob with me every time I am tending my gardens and eating my meals.

Love you Babe.

Always.

OX