This site is an archive of ChiotsRun.com. For the latest information about Susy and her adventrures, visit the Cultivate Simple site.
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Planting, Planting, Planting

August 17th, 2015

This weekend I spent a lot of time planting perennials and vegetables, and there are many more to plant. I had plans of taking photos of my work, both for the blog and for my garden journal. However, I planted until dark and was chased in by the mosquitoes.
planting
Most of the perennials were planted in a nursery area, they will be transplanted in a year or two when their final resting place is finished and when they have grown in size. Some of them will remain in the nursery area for a few years until they are large enough to divide. By then, I will have new garden areas that will be needing new plants. I love having full sized plants to fill them with so they look more established right away. I also like starting with one plant to see how they like the soil and microclimate in my garden.

Do you have a nursery area in your garden?

Quote of the Day: Diana Gabaldon

August 16th, 2015

“There was a curious peace in this day, a sense of things working quietly in their proper courses, nothing minding the upsets and turmoils of human concerns. Perhaps it was the peace that one always finds outdoors, far enough away from buildings and clatter. Maybe it was the result of gardening, that quiet sense of pleasure in touching growing things, the satisfaction of helping them thrive.”

Diana Gabaldon from Outlander

potager 1 (3)
I hope you can spend time in the garden and find a bit of this peace today!

Friday Favorite: Photos

August 14th, 2015

I almost always have my camera with me to take photos of anything and everything I come across. The result is that each year I take around 15,000 photos. Every now and then, I have to look through all my photos when searching for something specific for a client. It’s never a chore, in fact it’s something I rather enjoy doing. Yesterday I came across a few gems from the past, I’m so glad I take so many photos, there’s really no better way to record life!
rocking chair
tiny trailer travels (1)
brian working
hiking at Crater Lake National Park
heather vahila
tiny trailer travels
vintage camper garden shed
lucy
None of these images are amazing or dramatic, but each one is connected to a memory that brings up strong emotions. This is why I take photos, not just to capture the beauty in the world around me, but to capture the memories and those little pieces of life that might otherwise be forgotten with the passage of time.

Are you in the habit of collecting images of life?

Oh Boy

August 13th, 2015

Mr Chiots has been spotting a big flock of wild turkeys down at the end of our driveway, which is about a third of a mile from the house. The day before yesterday I looked out and saw them in the grass below the house.
Wild turkeys
Yesterday morning when I got up they were all under the apple tree, about ten feet from the house. I counted 22, which is a lot of wild turkeys! This many turkeys can do a lot of damage to a garden in a hurry. I don’t worry too much about the upper garden because Tara is up there, but the potager behind the house is probably at risk. That means I’ll be out putting up the pig fences that we’re not using for pigs this year.

What pests do you have to worry about in your garden?

Pucker Up

August 12th, 2015

Sour cherries bring back memories of my childhood. My maternal grandmother had a big sour cherry tree in her back yard. When the cherries were ripe, my grandpa would erect scaffolding around the tree and we’d go down and pick cherries. We’d spend hours pitting them, then my mom would make a pie and the rest went into the freezer to make sauce for ham and maybe another pie or two.
sour cherries 1
I planted a few sour cherries trees in Ohio, but they didn’t produce much before we moved. I haven’t planted any here yet (not sure why). Lucky for me, the neighbors have a tree that produces much more than they want or need. Thus I am able to head down and pick cherries at their place.
sour cherries 2
They can’t remember for sure which variety it is, I’m fairly certain it’s a ‘Montmorency’. I’m happy to have a few pints of cherries tucked into the freezer to be made into scones when the snow flies outside. Personally, I much prefer sour cherries to sweet cherries. I have plans to add a few trees to the garden, in fact I saved a handful of these pits and they’re tucked in the fridge in a container of peat moss hoping they’ll sprout.

Do you grow sour cherries? What’s your favorite way to enjoy them?

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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