5.05.2016

state of things


early May strawberries!

it's been a while...... lately I've felt that this space is really just a little journal of sorts for me- a place to keep track of the garden, funny things she says and does, our general goings-on.  do people even read other people's blogs anymore?  I mean, I know the answer is yes - at least to a degree.  still not a smartphone owner, I'm not on instagram, where I understand there's a lot of community and action going on.  sometimes I feel pulled in that direction, wanting to check in with folks and stay connected, but mostly I enjoy the un-connectedness that my old LG cosmos affords me.  we shall see.

so, as a way to keep track of our garden, my girl, our general goings-on...... here's the latest camera dump, a somewhat accurate and balanced glimpse at what the last couple weeks has been like around here. (oak pollen-covered front porch, huge laundry piles, and piles of cat puke under the bed not pictured)

love, love, love the 4x4 prints from artifact uprising. love.
sauteed ramps are a good topping for anything

cleaning up the hive boxes in preparation for the new bees!
a little treat that was left behind- pulled from an old frame during the cleanup and quickly enjoyed
a little color added to one of the hives - indigo with white accents, to balance out the white with indigo
miss queen in the queen cage - we ordered nucs but ended up getting packages when the medium nucs were delayed by a few weeks.  a bit more of a process to install, and a bit more fretting over things going well and settling down, but so far so good.  we've had to play around a little to try to even things out after a bit of drift, but we think it's all good!
yours truly, finishing the installation.  SO good to have these little creatures back- I really missed them last year!
she isn't so sure that french breakfast radishes belong in the 'breakfast foods' category, but she loves to pick and wash and nibble on them.
yum, yum
we picked our first peas yesterday (May 4th)- sooner, I think, than we ever have before!
planning to get these babies in the ground this weekend!  
the spinach is doing great, we picked a colander full and enjoyed it with our pasta last night with loads of last year's garlic, which is still hanging in there surprisingly well!

he mowed the grass yesterday.  first, he picked all of the fleabane in the yard and brought it in, thinking (correctly) that his girls would enjoy it.  sweet man.  I don't know what I enjoyed more- the act itself, the flowers on the windowsill, or watching the morning light dance across the blooms this morning.




18 comments:

  1. i still read your blog (and i also a little bit wish you were on ig, but i get to play with you in real life, so that's enough for me.)
    xo

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  2. I don't bother with Instagram, I don't even own a phone that would do that I am not good with technology. Impressed with your peas mine are only just shooting out of the ground, everything here is really delayed this year due to the awful weather.

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    1. this is our best year in a long time for peas! we planted Sugar Ann and Super Sugarsnap- next year, I'll pass on the Sugar Ann and do all Sugarsnap- yum! Hope yours are doing well by now :)

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  3. Instagram is fun but it's short bursts. Nothing like a blog post where you sit and visit in depth. I do both but both can pull me into a rabbit hole and then I look at the time and wonder if I spent it wisely either way. Oh the balance of real life living and technology :)

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    1. I think if I were on instagram I could easily lose hours there- much more so than with blogs or such since I am so drawn to photos!

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  4. I'm in the old school flip phone club too. I had a smart phone and did not feel that it made my life any smarter. I know I'm in the minority (I normally am), but I don't like Instagram. I think the whole "insta" thing lends itself to pretty meaningless pictures, yet people feel that their life is more enriched or they are more connected, if they have this constant feed. (Sorry - small rant there. It has been a rough morning!) On a positive note - I am totally impressed that you're setting up the hive! That was my husband's domain (we haven't had for the past 2 years) and I do miss them.

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    1. I go back and forth- I feel the same way often about Facebook (the overall 'cheapness' of the 'connecting' that happens there, etc) but then sometimes I'm so thankful for that outlet to connect with those I do truly wish to connect with and keep up with. Sigh. Ha- thanks! We share the responsibility, generally, though this year it's been more me so far. I enjoy it. I know how missing them is- I was always looking for them in the garden last year and ducking out of the way of their flight path even though we didn't have them last year!

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  5. I've been reading your blog for about 4 years, I like reading your posts about life and gardening and adventures in food, recipes, so forth.
    I wish you were on instagram, great pictures you take.

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    1. thanks, Christy. I do love taking photos and gosh I know I'd get swept up in the world of instagram- I bet I'd lose hours there SO easily!

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  6. Love it! Your pictures are wonderful! Looks like a happy spring for you all. Our peas haven't even bloomed yet!

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  7. I find myself so deep in life with my girls right now that I am hardly writing my own blog. I love artifact uprising. Oh and those hive boxes are so lovely!

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    1. it's funny- sometimes I keep up with it really well and other times not. such is the way most things in life go, I suppose. I just saw that they are doing softcover books now- may have to give them a try! (I've never ordered any of their other books because they are so, so expensive, but I bet they are gorgeous).


      thank you!

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  8. I have been very guilty of forgetting the blogs that I used to really enjoy. I was just thinking about my own - totally neglected - not because I'm less dependent on those relationship connections but because the speed of life has confined me to Instagram and the like. I have 1,800+ unread emails. Ugh. Life.
    We are beekeepers, too, now. But your garden is much better off than my own. I keep telling myself, "you're in year one of a five year plan..."
    I love seeing glimpses of your life! (and your bee boxes!)

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    1. I get twitchy if I don't keep on top of my email, but I have several friends for whom it isn't uncommon to have thousands of unread emails! gah!

      congratulations on the bees- yay! oh yes, it definitely takes a while to get a garden all set up and situated just the way you like. really, I feel like ours is always a work in progress.

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  9. i love everything about this post and i loved catching up with you. i haven't been reading blogs lately and rarely posting on my own... but i feel all of that will change again... because i miss it. this has been a busy season in my life but that is about to change... i can feel it... ebb and flow :) i really need to order some artifact uprising prints!! i thought that last time you shared. maybe today. instagram... in some ways you are really smart not to get sucked in, but in some ways you are missing out. it can be beautiful and uplifting but also another big waste of time. i try to keep a balance there but only following a small number of people and i'm super picky about who i follow... just those that share things that inspire and uplift me... not posting every little random thing :)

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    1. ebb and flow.... yes. it's funny- when I'm keeping up with writing I can't imagine not doing so, and when I'm not feeling into it I can't imagine sitting down and writing.

      aiming for balance is a worthy endeavor. tricky though, isn't it?! without a smartphone, I feel there's no real draw, but I know when/if I get one it'll be hard to stay away from all the pretty pictures and such ;)

      xo

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thanks for taking the time to read and comment~