2012 Chiot’s Run Calendar
I started working on my calendar last week hoping to have it up on November first. That didn’t happen, but I did get it up earlier than last year! It’s always tough choosing photos for each month, narrowing it down, deciding what direction to take, edible, flowers, etc. I’ve toyed with the idea of making a few different calendars, one featuring edible gardening, one featuring flowers & other things – maybe next year. For this year I’ll stick to the usual mix. Here’s the 2012 Chiot’s Run Calendar:
I want to thank all of you who purchase this calendar, I get a small amount from each sale and this helps me keep this blog ad-free and it helps me pay the bills associated with this blog. Once again it’s available in Small and Large:
Small: 11″ x 17″ open (folds in half in the middle like a regular calendar)
Large Calendar: 13.5″ x 19″ has coils at the top so it’s one continuos sheet
I also revised my Quote Calendar for 2012 as well, it’s also available in Small and Large.
Lulu just sent me a coupon that should get you 15% off the calendar. Use coupon code: NINCAL for 15% 1-9 calendars and code: TENCAL for 20% off 10 or more calendars. Coupon expires December 18, 2011. See Lulu homepage for details.
As hard as it is to narrow down photos for the calendar each year, I always seem to have one photo that’s my favorite from the season. This year was no different, December was my favorite, there’s just something wonderful about the sunlight in that photo that I really love! This year however, I’m especially fond of January and May, there’s just something about those two photos I really love!
What’s your favorite month?
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Cleaning up
This spring I mentioned that we had a few tress taken down and we started clearing the new lot next door. Not too long after that we started working on our little camper for our trip, and we neglected all the piles of brush laying around the gardens. It’s been a bit of an eyesore since spring and it’s been driving me crazy because they’re kind of in the way. When I hang laundry I have to step around a big pile of cherry branches. When I walk to the compost I have to weave through a few piles of oak logs.
We used a rather large amount of this brush to build a dead hedge across the back of the property. Basically it’s a neatly stacked brush pile that acts as a fence or hedge. It provides wildlife habitat and gives us something to do with all that brush. We still have a ton left though and needed to do something with it. Rent a chipper is on our list, but we haven’t gotten around to it. Yesterday I started burning some of it to clear off the area I want to plant my tulips (which was piled high with branches).
One of the benefits to burning the brush is that it gets rid of a lot of it rather quickly and you end up with a nice bit of ash. The ash will be added to soil to sweeten it a little, it’s very valuable for our highly acidic soils. The entire batch of ash I made yesterday will be returned to the hillside where the brush was and it will be worked into the soil when I plant the tulip bulbs.
Just a quick word of caution – when burning in early spring, fall, or other dry seasons, always keep a full watering can handy just in case you have a spark that gets away from you. No need to be running to get a hose or watering can since you’ll have it right there where you need it! I’m certainly glad we don’t have rules about campfires here, it was nice to warm myself during the cooler parts of the day. We even cooked our supper over the fire last night!
There’s something so great about fires, I don’t know what it is. It was very cleansing to spend some time cleaning some of the brush out of the garden and burning it. Time spent tending the fire was a much needed bit of relaxation even though I was working! We certainly should make it a point to have a few more campfires this fall and spend some time sitting by the fireside!
Have you ever built brush piles in your garden for wildlife habitat? Do you enjoy sitting around a fire?
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Finding Inspiration
Being the type of person that doesn’t sit still much, I’m always busy. Recently however, I’ve been feeling busy, which doesn’t happen often to me no matter how much I have to do in my day. When I get this way I have trouble finding my creativity. Not taking time to notice some of the intricate beauty around me is what bogs me down. Yesterday morning after working for a few hours I looked out the window and noticed the beautiful morning; the sun was shining and a heavy frost made everything shine. I took twenty minutes to head outside and take some photos and it made all the difference.
These photos will be a good reminder to take some time each day to notice something beautiful. I need this time as it’s my meditation time of sorts, oddly enough slowing down to notice beauty around me helps me accomplish more in my day. I’m incredible thankful that yesterday was such a sunny, bright, and beautiful morning and I’m thankful that I looked away from my computer to notice!
What is something you have found inspiring lately?
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Baby It’s Cold….Inside?
The weather outside is turning colder and that means the house is as well. Luckily our home is small and well insulated, sometimes too much, so we crack windows to make sure the air stays fresh. Usually we don’t need to turn on the furnace until sometime after the first of November; this year looks to be no different. Yesterday, we woke up to a chilly 56 inside (29 outside), that’s pretty normal since our nighttime low setting on the furnace is 55. Usually our thermostat is set at 60-63 during the day. (this would be considered warm for Kristen from Going Country who wakes up with her pillow frozen to the wall during the winter).
We’re definitely cold weather loving people. Long pants, wool sweaters and socks are the norm for us; a hot beverage in hand is also common. I’d rather keep my house cold because it makes the outside temp seem a little less harsh, and I grew up with the same kind of thing. I remember often sitting around in the evening in my winter coat because my parents kept the house so cold.
At night we sleep under a thick heavy wool blanket handmade in Colombia lovingly referred to as “Big Nasty” – yeah it’s that warm. We couldn’t keep the house any warmer than 55 or we’d burn up under this blanket!
Soon we’re hoping to put in a chimney so we can finally bring home a wood burner that someone is giving us; we have tons of firewood from taking all those trees down in the spring. Hopefully the house isn’t too hot, I guess we can always crack some windows to cool it off; that will make for healthier air inside anyways.
How cold do you keep your house in winter? Are you a hot or cold weather lover?
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Quote of the Day: Jessica Prentice
And of course eating winter produce in winter helps me reconnect with the earth’s rhythms and with the seasonal reality of my forebears. It reminds me that to everything there is a season and a time. It helps me to let go of my desire to have whatever I want, whenever I want it, instantly. It helps me appreciate that which I have been given and to accept it gratefully. A long night in the Hunger Moon will be warmed immeasurably by a thick, creamy bowl of Cream of Parsnip Soup. Eating it with a chunk of good aged cheddar on a slice of dark bread, it is a little bit of heaven on earth. It is no sacrifice at all, just a return to the simplicity and beauty of eating with wisdom and appreciation.
Jessica Prentice – Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection
I was over at my mom’s yesterday looking at the edible garden. Most everything was nipped by the frost and cold temperatures. The tomatoes are gone for the season; green beans will not grace my plate until next summer. I picked the last few peppers and those will be enjoyed over the coming week.
That’s not really a problem though, we have kale to eat and the peas will produce for a little while longer. A good number of carrots are still snug in their beds of soil and will remain there until we put the garden to sleep for good.
At the farmer’s market I’ve been buying raddichio, bok choi and other cold season vegetables. I no longer crave a fresh tomato out of season, but willingly look forward to brussels sprouts, celeriac and other vegetables that star in winter.
I have yet to grow many of these cold season vegetables in my small garden, but hopefully with all the new space I’m adding in a few years I’ll be able to experiment with them. I’m thankful for the local farmers that grow them so I can get used to eating them before I try to grow them in my garden!
What’s your favorite cold season vegetable? Are you planning on growing any new vegetables in your gardens in the coming years?
