Update on Lucy
I figured it’s been a while since I’ve let you all know how Lucy is doing since her injury back on January 6. She’s still on bed rest but she’s doing much better. She’s been putting some weight on her hurt leg for a few weeks now and seems to be slowly improving (which is what we want to see). We’re doing a kind of treatment called Conservative Management.
Basically, for 6-8 weeks we have to confine Lucy and keep her as still as possible, during this time she is developing scar tissue that will stabilize her knee since her ACL is no longer working. She only gets a few potty breaks a day outside and the rest of the time she’s in the office relaxing while we’re working. Even when she goes outside Mr Chiots is using a sling to help support her back legs so she doesn’t do any more damage.
In 3-4 weeks we will start introducing a few short walks and gradually increase the length of those walks to strengthen the scar tissue that has formed on her knee. We’re looking forward to this time because Lucy is a very active dog and is really missing walks, running and hiking. It will still be 6-8 months until she can resume normal walks and some of her previous activities.
Running around in the woods will be off limits forever, but going on walks with us in the afternoons should be possible. Lucy’s really looking forward to this, she still gets excited when we get ready to go for a walk.
So hopefully she continues to improve little by little so she can spend the mornings with me in the gardens this summer (I think she’s going to be super excited to go to grandma’s and play with her cousins again as well).
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A Day at the Beach in Fort de Soto, Florida
It’s been cold here in Ohio this winter. We usually have warm days mixed with cold days, but it seems like it’s just been cold for weeks on end and we’ve had snow on the ground for about a month. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the snow and I don’t mind the cold, but every now and I then I just want to be warm.
I’m not much of a beach person, don’t like salt water or sand; but every 5 years or so Mr Chiots and I end up at the beach during a vacation, or on a work trip, or while visiting friends. So since many of us are sitting in the cold snowy weather here in the north I thought we could all use a virtual trip to the beach to warm us up. So take off your shoes and join us on a trip to the beach.
Two years ago around this time we found ourselves in Florida for a convention. We have some family that lives down there so we made a short vacation of it. While there, we visited Fort de Soto park, which is a beach and a historical trip all in one. Fort de Soto was described as a, “spectacular combination of soft white sand, calm, clear water and a laid-back atmosphere”. We enjoyed a short walk on the beach and then we visited the fort and took a tour of all of the old buildling and learned all about the history of the area, it was fascinating.
It’s nice to take off your sandals and take a walk on the beach looking for shells. I don’t mind a short walk on the beach, it’s the sitting in the sun that I can’t take. My dermatologist would fire me as a patient if I did that.
Of course no trip is complete without the obligatory self portrait (does anyone else do that?).
Are you a beach person? What do you like or dislike about the beach?
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Storing Winter Squash
A while ago Meghan asked me how to store winter squash. I kept meaning to write a post about how I do it, but I kept forgetting (sorry Meghan). It really couldn’t be simpler to keep these lovely veggies around all winter.
I’ve heard that some people store their winter squashes under a bed, others in a pile in the living room. I simply put mine on top of a dresser that acts as a sideboard in my dining room. They are lovely to look at and since they’re in plain sight, I remember to check them often to make sure none of them are going bad.
Different kinds of squash store for different lengths of time. That’s one thing I love about butternuts, they seem to last forever. If you want to learn more about the different kinds of squash, what they taste like and how long they keep check out this site.
Where do you store your winter squash? Any great tips & tricks for the rest of us?
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Just What I Wanted to Hear
I’ve been reading through Keeping Bees And Making Honey
Unfortunately, some of the most spectacular garden flowers are of no use whatsoever to the honey bee. Double headed roses, chrysanthemums and dahlias, provide no nectar and hardly any pollen. In contrast, many flowers that are often discounted as weeds, such as dandelions and forget-me-nots, provide a rich source of food. That is why one of the best and easiest things you can do to make your garden more bee-friendly is to throw away the weedkillers that maintain those immaculate lawns and let your lawn and your flowerbeds go wild.
This is the kind of thing I like to hear. We’ve already gone organic, so no chemicals & weedkillers are used here at Chiot’s Run. But I still spend hours and hours pulling weeds. I think when I have bees I’ll be seeing all these weeds in a different light. Those dandelions will look like tasty honey in my tea.
I’ll also be incorporating a few more pollen rich flowers in my gardens. I have forget-me-nots already and those seed down easily so I’m going to try to move them throughout the gardens. I also have a ton of echinacea that the bees love, and they spread like weeds since they’re a native plant.
Even if you don’t have bees it pays to have some native plants for pollinators and butterflies. You’ll be cultivating a natural environment which will be a refuge to these beneficial insects since so many other gardens are full of pretty but useless flowers and so many people use chemicals and pesticides on their lawns & gardens. So I think this year I won’t cringe when I see a yellow dandelion in the lawn, I’ll smile knowing I’m doing something beneficial for the bees.
Are you willing to let weeds grow & bloom for the bees and other beneficial insects? Have you ever planted a flower or plant just for an insect or bird?
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Heirloom Tomato Seeds from WinterSown
A couple weeks ago I found out about Winter Sown on Annie’s Kitchen Garden. Wintersown will send you free heirloom tomato seeds for nothing more than a self addressed stamped envelope. They have a list on their website and you choose 6 kinds that you would like and some alternates (in case they don’t have the ones you want). I was super excited when I looked through their list because they had Tumbling Tom as one of their options and Principe Borghese as well. I was hoping to find Tumbling Tom tomatoes because I want to try growing them in hanging baskets on my front porch. Principe Borghese are superb drying tomatoes, so I was hoping to find these to dry for winter use.
I sent off my SASE last week and I received my seeds on Monday. When I opened up my envelope I was delighted to not only find my first 6 choices of seeds, but some of my alternate choices as well and some cucumber and parsley seeds.
They also included a brochure with directions on how to save your own seeds and they encourage you to send in your saved seeds so they can give them to others. What a great idea! I have saved tomato seeds for a few years, it’s super easy. This summer I saved a few from some farmer’s market tomatoes. I made sure to ask if they were heirloom plants. I’ll have to save a bunch and send in my extras this fall.
What seeds did I receive?
Cherokee Purple ~ Deep, dark rose-tone beefsteak, known for great flavor, most fruits over a half pound, IND, about 80 DTM
Cold Set ~ Canadian saladette has red fruits up to four ounces, fast and early, DET, about 65 DTM
Tumbling Tom ~ Loads of red cherries on dwarf plants are perfect for pots or hanging containers, DET, about 70 DTM
Costoluto Genovese ~ Italian heirloom has ribbed fruits, about 5 – 7 ounces, IND, 90 DTM
Roller Coaster Cherry Tomato Mix ~ Delicious and colorful blend made from varieties of cherry, pea, currant, wild types and rarities; 10+ seeds per pack, IND, 70 – 85+ DTM
Azoychka ~ Lemon-yellow beefsteaks can weigh about a half-pound, yummy early cropper, IND, 70+ DTM
Principe Borghese ~ great drying tomato, DET, about 75 DTM
White Beauty ~ Creamy white, meaty and delicious, most about a half pound, IND, 85 DTM
Kitchen Herb: Parsley
Marketmore Cucumber
I’m super excited about trying all these different kinds of tomatoes. I really want to grow San Marzano as well, but those may have to wait till next year. I’ll be starting these seeds in a month or two and I’ll probably give all the extra plants to my mom. I’ll keep you posted on how they do.
What are you favorite tomato varities? Have you ever saved seeds from you tomatoes?
