The End of the World is Nigh
That’s what my friend said when she saw I had finally joined facebook. I’ve been avoiding it for the longest time, out of principle really, feeling my blog was enough of my life to put out there on the internet for all the world to see. But a few things have happened over the last couple weeks and I had to join Facebook for a new job at Ethel (more on that next week along with a glove giveaway).
So, for all of you who have been asking for ages if I’m on there or not, I can finally say YES. You can friend me personally as Susy Morris if you’d like. I also created a Chiot’s Run facebook page, so make sure you head on over there and “like” it to get updates on blogs posts and other Chiot’s Run News. I’m also on Twitter under @ChiotsRun if you’d like to follow me there and Pinterest as well.
What’s your favorite social media outlet: twitter, facebook, pinterest, flickr, etc.?
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Camera Hogs
It’s no secret that I could be the crazy cat lady, I think I’m just shy with 4 cats; 2 are indoor, 1 is a hybrid indoor/outdoor and 1 is strictly an outdoor cat. Four cats really isn’t that many, but it seems like we have way more when I’m trying to take photos. I had to laugh when looking through my carrot photos, I had more photos with a cat than without!
Cats are curious, so they think when I have my camera pointed at something it must be interesting. They make their way over and walk right in front of me. It happens so often that I tag these photos “cat in frame” in my photo organization system. Every time I see these when I’m looking for pictures I get a good chuckle. Thought I’d share them with you today, hopefully they bring a smile to your face!
I’ve quite a menagerie of pets in my lifetime including: snakes, lizards, hamsters, fish, guinea pigs, dogs, birds, monkeys, and I think even an armadillo once for a short period of time when I was really young. Cats rank at the top for me out of all the pets I’ve owned. We’ll always have cats at Chiot’s Run, especially in the garden, where they work hard at keeping chipmunks out of the strawberries and away from my crocuses.
What’s your favorite kind of pet? Have you had any unusual pets in your lifetime?
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Quote of the Day: Terry Kay
“What grows in the garden so lovely and rare?
Roses and dahlias and people grow there.”
At the moment I have these lovely little roses blooming in the garden on the front hillside. These roses are easy care, they bloom beautifully all summer long with no work from me. In the spring I give them a watering with fish emulsion and that’s it.
I don’t grow dahlias in the garden, at least not yet. I bought these at Local Roots last week to enjoy on my table. At fifty cents each I thought they were a steal.
My mom and I decided, after seeing these beauties at the market, that we’re going to grow dahlias in the potager we share next year. We will set aside a portion of the garden for some posies to grace our tables all summer long, a cutting garden of sorts. If you’ve ever grown dahlias, make sure to comment any suggestions below, as well as any sources for tubers.
What’s your favorite flower for cutting and bringing indoors? Any great recommendations for our cutting garden?
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An Autumn Beauty
I was lucky enough to inherit this beautiful ‘Sweet Autumn’ Clematis (Clematis terniflora) when we moved in here at Chiot’s Run. It’s planted in the worst spot, almost in the gravel driveway, but it doesn’t seem to mind. It’s always grown well and bloomed nicely despite neglect and the tough conditions. Last year, I planted a comfrey at it’s base, to bring up nutrients from deep within the soil. The comfrey leaves also provide a nice mulch in the winter, protecting the soil and composting down in spring.
As you can see, the clematis is really appreciating this partnership. This year it looked better than ever, blooming profusely and providing food for all kinds of pollinators during a season when food is scarce.
This is a fantastic clematis if you’re looking for an easy care tall flowering vine. It blooms on current season growth and should be cut back to about 8-12″ in spring. It’s a vigorous plant, topping out at about 20′, so it can cover a trellis in no time flat. I now prune it several times during the summer to keep it to size. Before I pruned mine as often, it would grow to the top of a dogwood tree nearby.
Some people say this plant invasive, as it puts off seeds. I have only found a few seedlings in my gardens in the nine years I’ve lived here. I find that the deer eat all the seeds in the winter. I’ve never seen one growing in the wild around here, so I think the seeds only survive a mild winter with the right conditions. Since I deal with a few very invasive plants, this one doesn’t strike me as too much of a problem. Be aware though that it might be invasive in warmer climates than my zone 5 garden.
I’m truly amazed by the tenaciousness of this vine. For all the mistreatment it received early in it’s life, it is one of the most beautiful and easy going plants in my garden. Each fall I relish it’s season, happy that it survived the previous owners to grace our fence with such beauty each fall.
What’s your favorite fall blooming plant?
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Mom, We’re RICH!
Earlier this week, my sister and I took her kids over to my mom’s house. They love visiting great grandpa and the candy and snacks that he doles out freely- we always did too when we were young. They ate their fill of M & M’s, potato chips, and other snacks while all the adults enjoyed listening to my grandpa’s stories about gardening and growing up in the hills of West Virginia.
After the kids were stuffed with candy, and we were filled with stories, it was time to go. The kids gathered buckeyes, from the same tree my we did at their age. Little Orin was so excited and gathering as many as he could in his little hands.
He threw them in the box my sister was gathering black walnuts in and exclaimed excitedly, “MOM, we’re RICH!”. Then he explained that he was hoping to be able to play conkers when he got home. Don’t worry if you don’t know what conkers is, I didn’t either until he explained it (see link for explanation).
When I was young, candy was also one of the highlight of my visits to my grandparents, now that I’m older it’s his wonderful stories. As a child, I also loved walking through the woods with my grandpa learning to identify trees, animals and other plants. He definitely installed in my dad and in us a love of the natural world.
I must go over and soon and start documenting these stories for the kids to appreciate when they’re older. Preserving the Legacy of your family is such an important thing, head on over to the Your Day blog to read my post about my grandpa’s legacy . With the technology available today, it’s to easy and worthwhile to do, as this is truly one of the most valuable family heirlooms you can have.
Did you have someone growing up that shared their love of nature with you?
