Notes from the hammock

Butterflies at the Zoo

2009-04-07T03:43:00.001-07:00

I really appreciate being able to go around town and see examples of Texas-hardy, wildlife-friendly plants in action. Last week we went to the zoo and noticed that they have added plaques in planting beds that discuss water conservation and plants (displayed in each bed) that work well in our area.

Last week's trip included a visit to the Butterflies! exhibit. It was fun to see in action different plants I have on my butterfly garden wish list, and to sit back and the enjoy the butterflies. My 5 y/o loved it (my 2 y/o hated the terrifying flying things and clung to me the entire stay in the exhibit).

The new parking garage at the Witte Museum hasn't a lot of landscaping yet, but is using water conservation methods as well. I'll be back there later this summer to see what they end up doing out there.

Easter blessings

2009-04-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

My Grandmother Catherine had beautiful apple blossom amaryllis in some beds that lined the back of her house. One season Grandma was thinning out her bulbs and my Mom asked her if she would share some with her. She did and, according to family lore, Mom left the bulbs for about a year in the paper bag Grandma had used to bring them to her. Dad periodically threw water on the bag during the bulbs' year out of ground. One spring Mom finally planted the bulbs. All but one turned into the lovely amaryllis you see in a bed that lines the side of her house.

When my husband and I bought our own house, Mom gave us some of her bulbs to carry on the tradition (she has also shared them with others in the family). We planted them in a shady bed outside a bedroom window. They need to be transplanted to a sunnier location, but a few of them bloom for us each year.

Grandma passed away twelve years ago this month. Her amaryllis bulbs bloom for us each year around now, just in time for Easter bouquets. They are, for our family, a loving and living tribute to Grandma's memory.

Clean worm bin!

2009-04-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

Last May we welcomed a batch of worms into our household, for the dual purpose of eating our kitchen waste to make compost, and to teach my kids a little more about responsible use of resources. The worms we most UNwelcomed by our exchange student at the time (who was convinced the worms would escape and head directly to her room to terrorize her) and by my husband (who agreed that as long as they weren't something he noticed, he didn't really care about them being in the house).

Our worms live in this container (though not directly in front of this dresser; they stay under a cabinet unless I am harvesting compost, feeding them with the girls or photographing the worm condo):

Two plastic storage containers. The bottom one has a box in it to hold the top container up a bit; supposedly this will catch drainage, though I've never really had drainage issues with my bin. The top container has a few holes drilled in the bottom and sides and has a lid, also with holes in it (worms like fresh air, too!).

Inside the top container I have a layer of shredded and crumbled newspaper bedding, then a layer of kitchen scraps (worms are generally found partying here), then a top layer of shredded and crumbled newspaper.

Inside of bin:

Top layer of paper pulled away to expose the action (dark stuff is compost from my last batch that I threw in to help get this group of compost started. I don't know if that's standard procedure, but I ran out of time sorting through the last cup or so of compost and just decided to dump it in there with the worms).

I tend to neglect my worms. I do not pamper them and fuss over them week after week. I tend to leave them alone except when feeding (which I should do more regularly but do not). Yesterday I took ALL the compost out of the bin (about two gallons' worth) and refreshed the worms' paper and added in loads of not-so fresh cut veggie scraps. I tried another method of harvesting compost that in theory would have taken less work on my part, but it failed so I did it the hard way. I scooped out all the worm poop, put it in a container, then sifted through it handful by handful, removing worms and their offspring cases and tossing them back into the worm bin with new bedding and food. It took several hours (my girls were "helping" but we finished before suppertime. I am now free to neglect my worms again for a long while. Bonus! I have some fresh compost for spring plantings.

Long live our red wigglers!

A little bit of rain

2009-03-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we were hoping for some showers but the sun has come out. Yesterday I anticipated no rain at all and we got some light drizzle. Not enough to even get the ground very moist, but the birds were very happy about it (they sang in crazy chorus from the trees!).

Spring is announcing itself here in San Antonio. My lime tree is finally showing some fruit and flowers (the first year it has done this since we planted it).

The peach trees are starting to flower a bit, though I do not expect much fruit from them this warm winter.

Our apple blossom amaryllis have buds on them as well. They usually show their stuff around Easter time.

A pair of cardinals have built a nest in the (too tall but will now be left alone until after eggs have hatched) shrubs outside a bedroom window. You can see them well from inside the house, though they are quite hidden from the outside perspective. I see the birds around the yard but haven't caught them (camera in hand) in the nest in almost a week.

Patio clothesline

2009-03-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

Second post and already I am straying from gardening to line drying clothing. But since this is a "gardening and outdoor living" blog, I feel I am within bounds. And since Jessica at Around the Beehive and Janet at Mami de paz were asking about retractable clotheslines, I figured I would share mine here.

Last summer was hot here in San Antonio. Hot and dry. In an effort to reduce energy use in the house I committed to washing clothes in the washer before 10 a.m. or after dark, and hanging them to dry. I have three retractable clotheslines erected in my patio area (just in case it rains *wink*), and use some or all of them when drying linens, my clothes, kids' clothes and diapers. Friends, it was so warm last summer I could dry multiple loads in one day. Large loads. I'd wash one load overnight and in the morning put in another load while hanging the first. If possible, I'd squeeze in a third load before by 10 a.m. deadline. Then I'd hang as much as I could, wait for it to dry, bring them in mid-day, and hang out the rest of the wet stuff. At least I felt the high temps and drought were working for me this little tiny bit! Here is a picture of one line:

OK, so that was one of too few rains last year - nice to have the covered patio over the diapers in this case (though I have some collapsible racks I can put out in the sun if needed). Two of the 20' lines go semi-diagonally across the patio, one 40' line goes all the way across the long end of the patio (and down a second side, if desired). I added some extra hooks around the perimeter of the patio and can bring out the lines to varying lenghts, depending on how much I am drying.

The beginning.

2009-03-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Five years ago we were looking for our first home when I found a house in our target neighborhood that was the size we wanted at a price we could handle with THE YARD I never knew I needed. We bought the house and immediately began work on its interior. Half a decade of living and remodeling later, we are ready to start working on the yard. I am pretty excited about this adventure and look forward to learning lots as we transform our outdoor living space.

Currently, our yard has grass in it. Lots. Perhaps not as much as it did before the current drought, but still...lots. This must change. We need to address some drainage issues in the yard before we really start planting, but I have a general plan of what we want to do over the next few years as resources become available. I love working with plants and being outside in my yard, but am not opposed to hiring someone to do work I know I will not complete in a timely (or even not so timely) fashion. This journey will include "do it yourself" as well as "hire a professional!" projects.

I love tropical plants but live in the heart (and the heat!) of Texas so am limited in what I can do that is tropicalesque. Texas native plants also rock my world. I want a butterfly garden and, one day, a vegetable garden for my girls to tend. I do not like to water plants. I'm not really fond of digging holes. But I very much enjoy keeping company with the dirt and foliage, watching life happening here in my yard, observing and making mental notes from my hammock.