~
Sunday, July 31, 2011, 10:30 a.m.
75 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
Cooler temps prevailed overnight, and a good night’s
sleep was had by all.
This morning the sun is being felt to its best effect,
high in the sky and cloud-free,
the heat moderated by a wonderful cooling breeze from the
north. Last night’s outdoor
fireplace still had a few glowing coals, so we rekindled
it for a leisurely extended coffee hour.
We had an interesting visitor yesterday, a big yellow and
black bug that perched on one of the
lawn chairs and would not be budged. It was a locust
borer, and while we do not have any locust
trees in our immediate area, the adults feed on goldenrod
pollen. In about a month the adults will
breed and lay eggs under the bark of a black locust tree,
where the eggs hatch and the larvae
overwinter. In the spring, the larvae feed on the wood
and make tunnels throughout the tree,
and pupate in July. About two weeks later they transform
into the adult bug, who will emerge
from the tree through the tunnels, find some goldenrod
and start the cycle all over again. To see
pictures and learn more about this very colorful bug
check out this site
. There is always some-
thing new to learn... things to discover, and wonders to
behold right in our own back yards.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, July 30, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
66 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
The fog that bathed the valley in mist earlier has
lifted to form some pale billowy clouds to the southeast.
The rest of the sky is true blue overhead, fading to pale
milky blue as it nears the cloud bank, like a lesson
in perspective for a budding artist. Our trees have
leaves that are the deep green of midsummer; gone the
bright yellow-greens and tender chartreuse leaflets of
June. The sunny yellow buttercups and dandelions
of spring have given way to the rich golden tones of
black-eyed susans, evening primrose, butter-and-eggs,
and of course, tall plumes of goldenrod which have
recently appeared in clumps, deep in the dried grasses
of the hayfields. Alfalfa sports lovely small fragrant
blooms with a range of colors from creamy white all
the way to deep royal purple. We received some rain
yesterday, and every leaf, blade, and blossom
has been cleared of road dust and pollen which has lain
heavy on the Hill for the past few weeks.
This is a perfect morning, and a visit from good friends
makes for a perfect weekend, you betcha!
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, July 29, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
71 degrees, windy, overcast
Rain seems imminent, and the Nexrad radar map
shows a large area of storms headed our way.
However, the bulk of the clouds looks to be headed both
north and south of Turin; only time will
tell if we will receive much rain from this particular
front. I was walking after dark last night and could
smell a real change on the breeze, which was balmy and
moist. Night scents permeated the soft night air
and filled my head with spicy milkweed, sweet alfalfa,
and just the hint of apples and raspberries as I near-
ed the garden. The weather yesterday was mostly cloudy
and a little on the cool side, perfect for picking
raspberries to fill orders. I picked twelve pints in no
time at all, and heaped each box more than full. By
the time I delivered them, they had settled in the boxes
a bit; it never hurts to give customers a good
solid pint of product for their money. By Sunday there
will be another bounty of berries, and friends
will help with that harvest, which is destined to go into
the wine crock. Of all the wines I have ever
made, red raspberry is our favorite, and it is really
very easy to do. I have nearly finished making
seedless jelly, one more batch to cook up this morning,
and tomorrow will pick enough for a
fresh berry pie, several cups of berries heaped in a
graham cracker crust with a cooked jell
(raspberries, sugar, arrowroot powder) poured over them
to hold it all together. Yum !
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Thursday, July 28, 2011, 9:30 a.m.
72 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
Fair weather clouds paint the sky with a subtle brush, a
far cry from the huge billowing masses
that dominated the celestial dome yesterday. We pulled a
lot of weeds, as it wasn’t too hot and
the wind swept the black flies down tot he river where
they belong. purslane, galinsoga, and red-
root amaranth seem to be the worst garden weeds, with
sorrel, buttercup and aster dominating the
perennial flower beds. The annual flush of woodbine has
infiltrated the privet hedge, and I pulled a
whole mess of that as well. Even if I missed a few, the
vines are so pretty in the fall when the big
leaves turn crimson. Our cornstalks have tassels and the
unformed ears are sporting silks; sweet
and juicy fresh corn is only weeks away. I noticed
starlings are starting to form flocks, so far just
several family groups flying together late in the day. It
seems early for this, but then, I almost always
find the cusp between July and August to be full of
portents that we are headed towards autumn at a
dizzying rate of speed. Our harvest is well under way,
with raspberries and beans occupying much of
my time these days. We are still planting greens for late
fall, and the last row of beans has just poked
through the soil. In spite of many weather difficulties
this season, our gardens are doing very well.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:
Lock your cars, the zucchini is on the loose !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 9:30 a.m.
66 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
Several brief rain showers throughout the day may have
added up to about a half inch of water
overall yesterday, and certainly freshened up our view
here on Gomer Hill. I managed to haul in
the laundry just as the first sprinkle hit, and had not
yet started to wash windows, so I can save that
task for another day when we really need some rain.
Zucchini that was too small to pick in the morning
was double that size by suppertime, so we have plenty of
that delicious and versatile veggie to look for-
ward to. I found two nice cucumbers nestled underneath
their vines, with dozens of tiny ones just wait-
ing to bust into ripeness at the first ray of warm
sunshine. One red tomato beckoned from the bottom
of a plant, and several others are blushing in
anticipation of their mouthwatering ripeness. I need to
prune the vines one more time, as many little side
branches have appeared which will likely not pro-
duce fruit, but will take energy away from those already
formed. Our grape tomatoes are very slow
to form fruit this year; it may be because the seed was
five years old, and has lost some of its vigor.
This time of year affords so many wonderful fresh fruits
and vegetables, they often become the
showcase of the meal. Winter is the time for hearty stews
and succulent potroasts, stuffed
roasted chickens and complicated casseroles. In summer a
simple piece of fish or grilled
chicken breast is the foundation for a supper liberally
sprinkled with fresh salads,
new tender potatoes, steamed green beans with herbs, or
marinated zucchini
spears grilled next to the meat. Soon sweet crisp baby
carrots and broccoli
will join the menu; too many choices, and so many ways to
enjoy it all !
Have a delicious day,
Daisy
Tuesday, July 26, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
66 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
An assortment of clouds is moving in from west to east,
drifting over a big flat stationary mass
that looks like fish scales, known as a mackerel sky.
This formation usually means that there will
be rain within twenty-four hours. Just in case, I am
working that time-honored bit of practical magic
that almost always generates a good downpour; I have hung
out laundry to dry. In case that is insuffi-
cient, I will also be washing the windows, even the hard-to-reach
ones on the second story. We wash-
ed our vehicles last week, but if that’s what it
takes, we will do it again today. We had some rain yester-
day, but less than a half inch overall. It fell gently
for a couple of hours, which was the kind of slow soak
we require to make up for the dry summer, but it needs to
rain for at least a whole day. We were pick-
ing raspberries when the shower started, and it
wasn’t enough to send us indoors. We could hear thun-
der in the distance, but the storm never quite got going.
We have a couple of pleasantly warm days
and wonderful cool nights before climbing back into the
oven by Friday. Most of our garden crops
are loving the heat, but it has been a chore to haul
water. The meadows are brown with overripe
grasses, as our hay has not yet been cut. Milkweeds are
in full bloom, lending a soporific
sweet sedative to the night air as the big round
flowerheads release their scent.
Have a great day and a peaceful night,
Daisy
Monday, July 25, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
62 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy
A brief rain shower came and went an hour ago, but it
looks like more may be headed our way.
We will keep a good thought for that; we could use a day
or two of steady rainfall to really perk up
our garden crops. Yesterday we watered half the potato
plants, aiming the water at the base of the plants
where they disappear into the mounds of earth we hilled
up around them. I pulled up an Adirondack blue plant
and was rewarded with fifteen fairly large potatoes, a
deep navy blue from their skin to the center of the tuber.
They are very tasty, but I still can’t get used to
the unappetizing color. They add an interesting visual
note when
mixed with red-skinned and white potatoes in a summer
salad, but to have them simply steamed as a side dish
they do not have the same eye-appeal as buttery yellow
yukon golds or carolas. I haven’t tried them french
fried yet; they would look good dipped in bright red
ketchup. I have friends coming up this morning to
pick raspberries, so I have mixed feelings about wishing
the rain would hold off. It looks like it
isn’t imminent, but the radar shows a significant
amount may fall, unless it passes north of us,
which also looks like a possibility. I think it may be a que
sera, sera kind of day.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, July 24, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
65 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy
Dare we hope that this is the break in the weather that
we have been seeking for the past week
that was filled with oven-y goodness? It has been so long
since we had a deep soaking rain that little
trees have popped up in the lawn, which hasn’t
needed mowing for several weeks. I don’t understand
why the weather has been either feast or famine since the
last bit of snow left the Hill four months ago.
Not only the weather, but the wildlife has been a little
confused this year as well. Turkeys have been
gobbling up a storm the past few weeks, which is more
common in springtime. We continue to hear
spring mating songs from robins, doves, and blackbirds
long after the youngsters have been mimick-
ing their folks. Black flies have been swarming in
numbers more suitable for early May, and most days
we need head nets in order to work outdoors in comfort.
We haven’t been able to sit outdoors in the
evening at all, even with long sleeves and trousers; the
bugs find little openings and feast on ankles and
wrists, or crawl under the hat brim and suck out our very
life’s blood, leaving behind a row of itchy red
swollen spots. I need to pick raspberries and green beans
this morning, and will be sure to spray my all-
natural repellant everywhere there is a bit of exposed
skin and take my screen-hat along, just in case.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, July 23, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
75 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
We arose early to water our crops, as the ten minute rain
shower in the wee hours did little to
quench the thirst of our overheated plants. It’s so
hot... (how hot is it?) ... that when I dug potatoes
for dinner last night, they were already cooked; sadly,
that really isn’t too far from the truth. I had to
cut
most of the head lettuces yesterday, as they were
beginning to stew in their own juices. Tomatoes and pep-
pers are loving this weather, and several of our earlier
tomatoes are showing the first blush of color. A thick
straw mulch has helped keep moisture even for these
plants, otherwise the fruits are liable to develop blos-
som-end rot at the first hint of water. Potatoes are
growing well for now, but if they don’t get rain
soon,
they will be stunted. There is a good chance of rain
tomorrow, so we will keep our thoughts positive
for that to happen. Maybe I’ll give the rain stick a
little shake before bedtime; couldn’t hurt !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, July 22, 2011, 7:30 a.m.
73 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
A beautiful summer morning follows a perfect summer night,
one that was hot but not oppressively so.
We managed to make it through yesterday’s record-breaking
heat by relaxing after lunch until mid-afternoon,
then working in the cellar organizing canning supplies
and rearranging shelves. Our basement has unfinished
stone walls and a gravel floor, and stays cool even on
the hottest day of the year. By suppertime it was still
very warm outside but the wind was stiff and that helped,
not only helping to keep us cool but also whisk-
ing away biting insects. I am traveling to Little Falls
today with friends to stock up on supplies at the com-
munity co-op. Buying things in bulk, especially spices,
is a real money saver, and more than makes up for
the cost of gas to get there. I need to return in time to
pick red raspberries, which ripen daily in this kind
of weather. There will be more beans to pick as well, and
the zucchini is at the best stage of growth
right now, where daily picking of banana sized squash
will only make them more prolific.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, July 21, 2011, 12:20 p.m.
92 degrees, windy, partly sunny
We spent most of the morning lifting garlic from the
ground, finishing right at the stroke of noon,
at which time the heat advisory began. Yep, it’s
wicked hot, but the wind is blowing hard, so we man-
aged to do our work in relative comfort. We drank tons of
water, and a wet bandana tied around my
neck helped me keep my cool as well. This year’s
garlic crop had a few disappointments, but overall
the yield was good. Some of them looked like they had
been planted upside-down, as the stem took
a 180 degree turn from the roots. I checked my book,
hoping that some rookie had helped us poke
the cloves into the ground last October, but nope, it was
just us two. Maybe it’s time for a visit to
the optometrist. I can’t believe that I would
actually plant a clove of garlic with the root-end aimed
at the sky, but there were probably twenty bulbs growing
the wrong way round. Now the pungent
bulbs are laid out on racks in the winnowing barn; in a
month or so we will trim the roots and tops
off and sort them into three groups: the best and biggest
will go back into the ground in October
(right-side-up, yep!) the next best will be packaged for
sale, and the rest will go into storage for
our use all winter long. I am happy to have that big job
done! Now I think I will park myself
between two open windows, and enjoy the breeze along with
a big salad for lunch.
It looks like a good day for a siesta until the heat
starts to moderate.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 1:00 p.m.
85 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
Today’s entry is so late because I had much to do
outdoors and wanted to get it done before the real heat
of the day sets in. We picked red raspberries from our
garden, then headed over to the wild black raspberry
patch near our woodlot. Some large critter had waded
right into the middle of the canes and eaten most of the
ripe ones, leaving just about a pint for us. It came from
the forest, as there were no trails through the tall mea-
dow grasses that are on the east side of the woodlot.
I’ll bet it was a bear; I can just picture it wading
through
the thorny branches and then sitting down to enjoy a
sweet snack. I will make seedless jelly from a blend of
both kinds of berries, and there will be plenty more red
ones ripening during the next two or three weeks to
make into wine, pie, and of course, eating fresh.
Although there are many green blackcaps, I can’t
count
on them now that a wild critter has found them. We
planted more spinach, lettuce, and swiss chard,
and weeded the black beans. Our first planting of corn is
starting to show tassels, even though it
isn’t very tall yet. The road repair crew has
completed the big job of replacing the Smith Road
culvert at the deep gorge site, and today are working on
the culvert that goes under the road at
Horsie Creek. They are putting in a much larger pipe than
the one they removed, which was
so rusted and squished that it is amazing any water at
all found its way through from one
side to the other. We should see a significant reduction
in runoff during hard rainfalls,
and hopefully the improved culvert size will keep the
road from washing out
ever again. Big clouds dominate the sky this afternoon,
but I don’t think they
are carrying any rain. There may be some unsettled
weather tomorrow
afternoon, with oppressive heat and humidity ruling the
day;
thunderstorms could possibly offer a bit of relief.
Thank goodness there is a breeze blowing!
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, July 19, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
66 degrees, breezy, partly sunny, fog
The fog is slowly thinning and now I can tell that the
sun is indeed shining through some big clouds
up past the mist. I think that this fog is going to be
the only moisture our gardens will get for the next
few days. There was an 80% chance of rain yesterday, yet
we received less than 1/4 inch from two brief
downpours. It looked like all of that lovely rain passed
south of us; we was robbed! We walked up the Smith
Road yesterday after the road crew went home and it looks
like their job is nearly done. I suppose they were
grateful we didn’t receive much rain; it would have
been hard to work in mud. The grader went by this morn-
ing to smooth the surface, and the berms need to be
smoothed and seeded, but it looks like the road will be
ready for traffic by the end of the day. Our red
raspberries are ripe, and we ate our way through most of
the bushes with friends yesterday. By tomorrow there will
be enough to pick for a batch of seedless jelly,
which is tricky to make but oh so good! There are some
black raspberries over by the woodlot that are
just about dead ripe. Last summer I combined the two
varieties and made some delicious wine, and plan
to do so again. I noticed some green beans of a nice size
but the plants were too wet to pick any, but I
sure will check those out when the foggy dew dries off
later. There is nothing like the first fresh green
beans of the summer, lightly steamed and kissed with a
little olive oil and fresh snipped basil. Oh boy!
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, July 18, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
70 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy, drizzle
A thunderstorm rolled across Gomer Hill an hour or so ago,
and dropped some very hard rain
in a brief amount of time. There are rainstorms predicted
for much of the day, but as I look at the
Nexrad radar map, it seems that most of them will pass
south of us unless there is a significant shift
in the storm track. The town and county crews have
resumed work on the Smith Road repair, and
the rain hasn’t (so far) kept them from hauling up
truckload after truckload of dirt to fill in the gorge
over the new culvert. Fog is beginning to form above the
meadows, and I have lost sight of the val-
ley completely. As wild and windy as it was earlier this
morning, it is calm and serene at this mo-
ment. I believe this will be a day with many kinds of
weather, and I can’t wait to watch it unfold.
I have dozens of little indoor jobs to keep me busy, as
well as a few that can be done outdoors
in between showers. We pulled some of our garlic
yesterday just to see how it is coming along,
and have decided to harvest it later this week. We have
about seven hundred bulbs to lift, which
is more than we ever planted before. Perhaps I will make
a visit to a farmers’ market in August,
not as a customer, but as a vendor. Even we can’t
eat that much garlic in a year. We have been
enjoying baby beets, and I am amazed at how big they have
grown in just a week’s time. Many
are the size of tennis balls already. Of course, the more
we pull from the rows, the more
room those remaining have to grow. All living things do
best when given enough space.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, July 17, 2011, 9:30 a.m.
74 degrees, windy, sunny
We are steeped in a hot morning but the brisk west wind
has upped the comfort factor considerably.
An incessant nearby wild turkey gobble woke us before
dawn, and all of the other birds joined in with
a beautiful performance; it was much better than any
alarm clock, even if two hours earlier than needed.
Our porch-sitting morphed into a late breakfast and now
we are thinking about our garlic harvest, which
is imminent. We will pull three or four bulbs of each
variety and evaluate them for readiness. Today would
be a perfect day for gathering in the multitude of bulbs
if they are indeed ripe. if we receive some much-need-
ed rain tomorrow as forecast, then we would have to wait
several days for the soil to dry out before digging
the bulbs. If garlic gets overripe it does not store well.
There really is a very small window of opportunity to
lift garlic from the ground to assure a top quality
product. Yesterday we spent the day at a gathering in Os-
ceola at a friend’s camp. The house remained cool in
spite of the heat and humidity, and the outdoor act-
ivities took place in screen tents. We were each given a
little spray bottle of all-natural herbal insect
repellant, and the deerflies (which were as bad as any I
have ever seen) kept away after we ap-
plied it. The view is very different in Osceola, with
sandy rocky soil and a billion blackeyed
susans all over the place. It was a wonderful day of rest
and relaxation with friends old
and new; it never hurts to get off the Hill once in a
while. There are so many new
and different things to see within a half hour drive, no
matter where you live.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, July 16, 2011, 7:30 a.m.
70 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
Not a leaf is stirring on this warm summer morn.
The black flies must still be sleeping,
as we were able to sit on the porch undisturbed for quite
a while. Late yesterday we had
to quit work outdoors early because of swarms of biting
insects, but most of the jobs were
done anyway. We are headed to an outdoor gathering today
and will be sure to tuck some
insect repellant into our daypacks. We have been moving
firewood into the barn for next
winter; it is good to have that out of the way. We filled
the outhouse with smaller kitchen
wood as well, but since we have to close up the back
porch to put the bulk of that in we
usually wait until late autumn. I just saw four dogs
headed up our road; they were sniffing
the trail of something and disappeared into the next
driveway down. We gathered in our
cat; these are not any dogs I recognize from the
neighborhood, and we will keep our own
pets indoors for a while in case they are feral. There
used to be quite a few wild dogs on Tug
Hill, but I think they have been wiped out by rabies or
coyote hunters. The last time I ran into
a big old raggedy black lab in the middle of nowhere was
more than ten years ago, and he
was as scared of me as I was of him. We both took off
running in opposite directions.
Now the ravens are all het up about something in the
woods near the neighbor’s
driveway. Perhaps there are folks staying there this
weekend; the house is
usually empty as the owner passed away years ago. A
mystery...
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, July 15, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
70 degrees, breezy, sunny
An overnight low temperature of 52 made for some
wonderful sleeping conditions,
with the full moon and clear night air drifting in the
open windows to punctuate our dreams.
It sounded much like early spring in the hour just before
dawn, with robins, redwing blackbirds,
and mourning doves practicing all of their songs with the
youngsters. The sun rises around 5:30, but
it is light out for a full hour before that. I scanned
the lower garden at first light, to see if I could spot
any
deer; one unruly beast has eaten the center out of a
another dozen heads of lettuce. Perhaps I need to put
down the netting that we just removed from the strawberry
patch. I hate to do that, as it was difficult to get
it cleaned of garden debris and properly rolled up for
storage. I spread stinky soap shavings and dog hair
trimmings around the plants yesterday, but maybe this
particular deer has a stuffy nose. Because the tall
hay has not yet been cut, deer can approach the gardens
by walking along paths and remain totally hid-
den from our view. It only takes a few minutes for a deer
to wipe out a crop of lettuce or other greens.
Today I will put up a string across the greens, with old
cds tied to it and fluttering streamers of safety
tape. There are still a dozen transplanted heads of
iceberg lettuce that are not yet ready, so I hope
this deer has had its fill of tame greenery. We checked
out the Smith Road project at noon yesterday,
and it looks like we will have one more weekend of peace
and quiet before the offroad traffic returns.
They will probably finish it on Monday; the Town works a
four-day week and will not be back on the
job until then. The crew finished packing fine soil
around the giant culvert, and now have to push the
huge pile of dirt back over the pipe and grade the end
result. I have missed being able to walk and
bike along the Smith Road for the past week, but it would
be very hard to get past the moun-
tain of loose soil that the dozer pushed out of the ditch,
which spreads from berm to berm.
We have a beaut of a day spread out like a gift before us,
summery sunshine but low
humidity, perfect for those heat-loving crops. I think I
will be able to watch the
zucchinis double in size during the course of the day.
Lock your cars !
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Thursday, July 14, 2011, 9:30 a.m.
65 degrees. breezy, mostly sunny
Milky white fog lay across the valley earlier, but now we
can see most of the near meadows and trees,
although the view of the Adirondack mountains is still a
bit blurred. A cold front blew across the Hill yes-
terday afternoon with a fury that left branches and green
leaf clusters on the ground all over our neighborhood.
I would say that the strong gale that lasted only a brief
time was an 8 or 9 on the Beaufort_scale which would
put it at around fifty miles per hour. I had set out new
broccoli plants earlier in the day, but they seem unharm-
ed. A bit of rain fell, and the temperature dropped from
76 to 61 in about an hour’s time. The sky cleared,
big
clouds raced along from north to south, and the air was
absolutely clean and fresh. A few more little sprinkles
fell, but some serious slow drenching rainfall would be a
real blessing for the gardens, the potatoes in particu-
lar. We walked up to the work site on the Smith Road
before lunch, and the heavy equipment was spread-
ing out the many loads of stone that had been hauled
there during the morning. The new culvert was still
resting next to the road, but hen we returned to the spot
at around 4:00 the culvert had been put into
place, resting at a gentle slope atop all of that stone.
Today trucks have been hauling fine fill up to en-
close the new pipe, and we will be heading up there
shortly to check out the progress. I wouldn’t be
surprised to see the Smith Road back in operation at the
end of the day. It sure has been nice having
it closed all these months; I haven’t missed the
dust and noise that comes with every pack of ATV
riders. I guess that the culvert under the road at Horsie
Creek will be the next thing to be replaced,
as long as the equipment is already up here. The fun
never stops here at the top of the world !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, July 13, 2011,
9:30 a.m.
68 degrees, windy, mostly cloudy
What a wonderful change from yesterday’s steambath!
Not only were heat and humidity daunting,
but blackflies were having a family reunion on any skin
that was exposed, even with odoriferous repel-
lants applied. I made a hasty foray through the
strawberry beds and came up with a scant quart of berries,
with darned few greenies left on the vines. I think
that’s the end of them. I also pulled the spinach
which has
sent up long flower spikes. It takes a while to snip the
leaves from the stems, but the end result is plenty of
spinach that is suitable for using as a cooked green, as
it is a little bitter to eat raw. I have two big bags of
dark green leaves in the fridge, and should be able to
use it all within a week. It is very good wilted and
rolled into bread dough with garlic and mozzarella cheese,
which I plan to take to a potluck on Saturday.
Last night we had some tossed with pasta, garlic, chicken
and cheese, yum! Yesterday we strolled up to
watch a bulldozer and trackhoe dig and push the vast
amounts of dirt required to fill in the gaping hole in
the middle of the Smith Road. It seems contrary, but in
order to open up the hole so a new culvert can
go in, they first had to fill in the existing chasm so
the trackhoe has a place from which to work. A truck
full of rip-rap just headed up that way, so we will go on
up and see if they are ready to place the pipe.
I won’t say that we are easily amused, that should
be obvious... but what goes on in our own
neighborhood is far more entertaining than any reality
television I have ever seen.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
70 degrees, windy, partly sunny
The sun has just appeared from behind some pretty awesome
clouds. We were hoping
for more rain than just the little spit we got at the end
of yesterday, but every little bit helps.
Even if the water didn’t seep down into the roots,
at least the foliage got a bit of refreshment.
We have been culling the iceberg lettuce, and enjoying
small heads with our meals. The deer have
munched on a half dozen, eating out the center of the
head and leaving the outer leaves, so I cut out
the damage and hope that new heads will form eventually.
I need to refresh the aroma barriers that
I have laid down all over the gardens, the soap shavings
and dog hair clippings scented with cheap
cologne. I took the perfume samples from some discarded
magazines at the library, and will cut them
up to hang from strings at the corners of the plots, nose-high
for the deer. Even though these samples
are all labeled with different titles and manufacturers,
they all smell the same to me. I still think a dab
of vanilla extract is just about the best scent a woman
can wear, that and the aroma of fresh crush-
ed basil leaves. We are going to walk up the Smith Road
and see how the culvert repair is
going; we can hear the heavy equipment backing up, and
the beep, beep, beep is draw-
ing us like a magnet. If we leave now, we can enjoy
walking in the cool breeze.
I have a feeling we are in for a pretty hot day once the
sun comes out to stay.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, July 11, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
75 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
It is a hot morning but breezy, and the humidity
isn’t too bad. First on my list of things to do this
morning is harvest the rest of the spinach that is
beginning to put up flower stalks, wash it up good
and store it in the fridge. It is a little past its code
date for eating raw in salads, but we will be sure to
enjoy it steamed and tossed with pasta or chopped into a
rice dish. More spinach seeds will go into that
same space, but I will need to cover the row with straw
to keep the hot sun away from them until they germ-
inate. I will wait a couple of days before planting more
lettuce seeds; they are so soft that they will cook right
in the soil on a hot day like this. Late yesterday I
pulled up a few potato plants and harvested enough small
potatoes to satisfy my craving for early spuds for a
while. We have plenty planted, so the loss of these few
plants is no big deal, and it was totally worth it to
have such a sweet and creamy treat with last night’s
sup-
per. The soil is very dry in the potato patch, so we are
hoping that we will receive rain overnight, although
the chance is less than fifty-fifty. A few random big
drops fell late yesterday, but there weren’t even
enough
to keep the dust down. There is no other rain in the
picture until the weekend, and that is only a slight
chance
as well. We will try to get most of out outdoor work done
before the day becomes too muggy, then pick away
at some of the ongoing indoor projects. The next big
garden job is harvesting garlic. We pulled a bulb yester-
day, and it looks like it will be ready fairly soon,
maybe in a week or so. The cloves have formed around
the stiff central stem, but are not yet separated by
their individual wrappers. A good indication that
garlic is ripe is when the bottom two or three leaves
turn brown; so far, just one leaf has died.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, July 10, 2011, 11:00 a.m.
73 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
Low humidity and a fresh breeze make this a winning
summer day no matter what the activity.
We lingered over coffee on the porch and enjoyed a
leisurely brunch, and plan to take an entire
day off from garden and yard tasks. We knocked off early
yesterday as well, and made a few local
stops to visit with friends before heading home to feast
on homegrown pork chops and swiss chard
braised with garlic scapes and stinky cheese. We have
been chatting, and reading, and dozing, and
just generally enjoying a little stay-at-home vacation.
Sometimes we become so wrapped up in our
self-appointed jobs that we forget to program in a few
coffee breaks and weekends off. One of the
things we plan to do today is walk up to the big empty
culvert parked next to the hole in the Smith
Road. The town brought up some heavy equipment on Friday,
and I think that beautiful resonat-
ing hunk of metal will soon be buried under tons of dirt,
and no longer available for our enter-
tainment. We need to yodel and hoot into it one last time
before it goes to ground to guide
the gorge’s water on its appointed course. It has
been awesome having the Smith Road
closed for two months; we haven’t missed the
onslaught of off-road vehicles stirring
up dust and hurlingnoise-bombs at our open windows day
and night. It will be
interesting to see the men at work on such a huge road
repair. Stay tuned.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Saturday, July 9, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
65 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
A northeast wind has swept the hot muggy air from the
Hill, along with most of the clouds
that had accumulated yesterday. We could see a bulging
half moon through the clouds just
before bedtime; in a week it will be full. Our next
weather change will arrive Monday, when
a warm front will send the temperature up into the
eighties and hopefully bring some rain along
with it. Other than that, it looks like clear sailing for
the rest of the week. Perhaps our farmer friend
will come up and cut our hay during the next dry stretch.
We have been enjoying our meadow paths,
which wind through the tall grasses and wildflowers,
giving us a view of bird nests, beautiful blossoms,
and animal scat that would be out of our view under
normal circumstances. The canary grass is seven
feet tall, and waves prettily as we pass, releasing
pollen and tiny flower petals like snowflakes. There
are two places where black-eyed susans grow, and I always
run ahead of the giant mowing machine
to pick them before they get turned into hay. Coyotes,
raccoons, turkeys, and deer like to travel along
the mown paths as much as we do, and naturally that is
where they do their business as well. We have
seen too much coon sign to bode well for our future sweet
corn crop. It is time to put our Havahart
live trap out, and hope that it doesn’t attract a
skunk. Although a skunk needs to lift its tail in order
to spray, we always think that perhaps we might trap one
that is the exception to that rule, so we
cover the cage with a tarp before transporting the
critter to its new home, and release the catch
with a ten-foot pole. So far, the skunks take off at a
dead run, not even contemplating an act
of sweet revenge on their captors. There’s a
first time for everything, that’s our motto.
We have a very pleasant morning stretching out ahead of
us, and will try to get our
lawn-mowing and garden tasks done so we can enjoy an
afternoon off.
That sounds like a good plan, no matter where you live.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, July 8, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
70 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
I thought I heard thunder earlier, but it was coming at
such regular intervals I guess it must have
been the sound of heavy artillery practice coming from
Fort Drum. The sky is milky blue where
it isn’t overrun by various scattered clouds, and it
doesn’t look like any rain is imminent. There is
a chance of showers throughout the day but it is slight.
It looks like our water wagon will be put in-
to nearly constant use today, as we still haven’t
had a good soaking rain for a while. Our strawber-
ries are done for the season; it is time to pay attention
to the raspberries, which are loaded with blos-
soms and green fruits. A load of water on them at this
time will surely hasten their ripening. The iceberg
lettuce has been doubling in size every day or two, and
we snatched two baby heads last night for the
kind of simple salad one would pay big bucks for in a
trendy upscale restaurant. I think the bulk
of those heads will all be ready to pick on the same day,
in about a week. Good thing it stores
well in a fridge, much better than any leaf lettuce does.
Now if only we had some ripe
juicy tomatoes to plop down on our green salads, that
would be perfection!
Soon, soon...
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, July 7, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
65 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
Thunderstorms skirted Turin yesterday and delivered one
short cloudburst in mid-afternoon.
It was just enough to settle the dust, but the gardens remain
really dry. I dug into the side of a
hilled row of potatoes to see what was happening and the
soil is like powder. I did find three marble-
sized spuds, which is great, considering that we planted
them almost a month later than usual this year.
I think we will be able to chow down on some tender sweet
new taters in about ten days. Right now
we have been eating greens, greens, and more greens...
raw in salads, sautéed and mixed with rice
and beans, stirred into pasta, and nibbled as we weed the
rows. We have several kinds of lettuce,
spinach, swiss chard, and baby beets, and every meal
except breakfast has some kind of green leafy
side dish. With successive plantings of the
aforementioned crops we should be enjoying fresh greens
well into October. Our first planting of snap beans is in
full bloom, and will probably be the next
veggie to take over the menu. Garlic is showing signs of
slowing down, with one bottom leaf
nearly dead. We like to see at least three or four dead
leaves before harvest, and it looks
like that will be within the next couple of weeks. We
have a beautiful cool breezy morning,
so I think I will head over to the main crop of carrots
and thin them to stand an inch apart.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, July 6, 2011,
8:30 a.m.
72 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
A bit of rain fell very early this morning, refreshing
the view and nourishing all growing things.
We emptied our rolling water tank onto most of the garden
crops yesterday, in case today’s pre-
dicted showers never materialize. Natural rain is the
best watering system of all, but it doesn’t hurt
to water by hand when the need arises. I spent a couple
of hours riding bikes with a friend at high noon.
We went up the Smith Road onto Plummer, and from there
followed a logging road back to a secluded
beaver pond. We were hassled by deerflies for much of the
ride; even though we had sprayed with natu-
ral repellants they were able to keep up with us. However,
once we entered the forest that surrounds the
pond, all insects vanished as if by magic. The pond was
glassy and quiet, except for the ripples left by
frogs as they leapt from our approach. We spied one young
duckling paddling among the lilypads,
and saw a new beaver lodge but no beaver. Along the shore
were many wild calla lily plants, also
known as water arum. Several were in bloom, looking
exactly like their domestic sisters, which often
show up in wedding bouquets. As we scanned the pond for
more signs of life, we became aware of iri-
descent blue damselflies darting here and there among the
ferns. First one, then two, then dozens of them
drew near to investigate our presence. We stood very
still, and they settled onto the closest plants and
simply
rested, their wings held parallel to their beautiful blue-striped
bodies. The wing orientation is how to tell a dam-
selfly from a dragonfly, as well as by their much smaller
size. Dragonflies hold their wings horizontal while at
rest,
like an airplane. Damselflies perch and fold their wings
to lie flat along their sides, and if it were not for
their bright
blue markings they would look just like an ordinary twig.
Here is an excellent site to learn more about damselflies:
arkive.org/common-blue-damselfly/....
. As we walked from the pond back to the logging road
where we had
parked our bikes, we saw hundreds of partridgeberry
flowers, small four-petaled white fuzzy blooms growing
in pairs flanked by dark green oval leaves with a pale
creamy midrib. The blossoms join to form a single scarlet
berry, which will show two darker spots that represent
the host flowers. Partridgeberry is an evergreen plant,
and some folks plant it as a groundcover in their
perennial beds. We had seen many beautiful things on our
journey yesterday, reminding us that some of the most
miraculous things are just a short distance from home.
What can you discover in your own back yard?
Have a wonder-full day,
Daisy
Tuesday, July 5, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
70 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
This morning’s pleasant back porch-sit was marred by
the appearance of a swarm of black flies,
which perched on every bit of exposed skin, not biting,
but persistently annoying enough to move
me indoors for the morning cuppa. With all of the
sunporch windows flung wide open and the pro-
tection of screens, I had the best of both worlds,
indoors and out, without the tickle of bugs. We have
been lucky so far this season, in that there has been a
good breeze just about every day that sweeps away
the smaller biting insects. Deerflies have been the worst
pests, but they don’t like the scent of menthol, so
a judicious application of Tiger Balm usually discourages
them, and has the added benefit of increasing the
circulation to the overworked joints where has been
applied. Yesterday I tied up the tomato plants and
pruned off unnecessary suckers, leaving the strongest two
or three branches to bear fruit. Several plants
have small tomatoes already, and one of the speckled
romans has a single tomato that is still green but
nearly
full-sized. Our pole beans have started to put out the
long wandering tendrils that are meant to climb skyward,
but sometimes need a push in the right direction. A few
of the scarlet runner plants are loaded with
bright red
flower buds, which seems a bit premature. The first
planting of lettuce is winding down, but the second
sowing
is big enough to eat the thinnings, so it is time to
plant another round. Summertime iceberg lettuce,
which takes
a longer time to mature, is starting to form tight heads,
and should be ready to pick during the next ten days.
Most of our row beans have been infested with white fly,
so they will get a spritz of a weak solution of
Shaklee Basic H2, which is a planet-friendly soap with
many uses. The stinky cologne strips that I took
from magazines and clipped to garden stakes need to be
replaced; they work as a pretty good deer-repel-
lant. I have seen their pointy hoofprints through the
soft garden dirt, but they haven’t done any grazing
in the
gardens since they wiped out the swiss chard. I wish I
had hung a strip next to the asiatic lilies; they ate
every
single bud. With meadows full of the tastiest grasses and
legumes, I am amazed that deer would still crave our
domestic plants. Who in their right mind would go to an
al-you-can-eat buffet and just eat the swiss chard ?
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, July 4, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
72 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
A wonderful cool breeze swept through the open windows
last night, refreshing after a hot
and humid sun-drenched day. Clouds had finally given way
to a hazy blue sky but earlier rain
created a steamy tropical envelope that didn’t begin
to dissipate until sunset, when as if by magic
the air cleared and cooled down. We visited around a
crackling fire in the outdoor stove, and were
treated to fireworks all across the horizon after full
dark arrived. This morning the air quality is won-
derful, and a northwest breeze is very refreshing. Even
if the temperature climbs into the high seven-
ties, lower humidity will give us a delightful day for
working and playing outdoors. There are more
berries to pick, and if I thin out the beets we will have
plenty of baby beets and greens for the
supper table. I need to plant more, and put out the rest
of the broccoli plants as well.
There is always something to do in the garden, even on a
national holiday.
Have a grand old day,
Daisy
Sunday, July 3, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
67 degrees, windy, partly sunny
After a brief thundershower at dawn, the air is
attempting to clear. The pale blue sky
and pearly grey clouds are so close to each other in hue
that it is hard to see where one
begins and the other leaves off. I have a feeling that
when the sun wins the race, it will be
a pretty steamy scene here on Tug Hill. Last night we
heard fireworks all around, and some
of the shows seemed fairly large. It was too overcast to
see any of the bursts, but tonight we
should have better luck. We usually have a good view of
at least a dozen displays, and Boon-
ville is having their show tonight. I am sure that many
towns will celebrate tomorrow night as
well; when Independence Day falls over a long weekend, we
can usually count on four nights
of free entertainment from our perch here at the top of
the world. Yesterday afternoon I pick-
ed all of our strawberries with a friend, and this
morning I will make a pie and freeze the rest.
There are still many unripe berries left on the vines,
and we should be able to enjoy them
fresh for at least another week. I never buy strawberries
from the market, as they are
one of the most contaminated fruits (both herbicides and
pesticides) when grown
commercially. We have our little patch up here and
happily wait for the three
weeks every summer when we can eat our fill of sweet
juicy berries. The rest
of the year we enjoy chunky preserves on our toast and
frozen berries on our
cereal and pound cake. There is nothing better than all-natural
fruits and veg-
etables grown locally and enjoyed in season. If you are
not able to grow
your own, almost every town has a farmers’ market
that will fill your needs.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, July 2, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
75 degrees, breezy, sunny
There were enough clouds to make for a very pretty
sunrise, but they have all fled,
leaving behind a very hot summer day. The breeze is from
the south, and sometimes
it stops altogether; this could be a real swelter if the
temperature continues to climb. We
had best get the outdoor work done this morning, plus
there are strawberries to pick after
the sun has kissed them with sweetness. Our swiss chard
has recovered from the pruning the
deer gave them last month, and I will cut some of that
for a supper dish of mixed greens; the
beets could use thinning, and the last of the early
spinach could be cleared away as well. Yes-
terday I weeded and thinned the sweet corn. This year,
every seed germinated, so I had to pull
out more than half of it. I also thinned and weeded
parsnips, beans, cucumbers, and lettuce, and
have yet to tackle the annual flowers in the front garden.
The tomatoes are tall enough to need
support, and even though there are only a dozen plants
this year it takes about ten minutes
to do prune and tie each plant, so that will take a
couple of hours. I’d better get out
there, as it looks like it could be the kind of day for a
little afternoon fun.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, July 1, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
62 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
A little bit of fog has dissolved under the strong July
sun, and it looks like we have a winner
of a summer day ahead of us. We have been watching
bobolinks darting in and out of the tall hay,
where they have built their nests and are probably
watching over a whole passel of young’uns by now.
Redwing blackbirds have already guided their chicks out
of the meadows and are showing them the rest
of the world, staying close together whenever our cat or
larger birds are in the neighborhood. Goldfinches
have begun to choose their mates, some of the last birds
to do so every summer. They wait until weeds have
gone to seed, as the fibers are integral to their nest
construction; they are very tightly woven from fine roots
and grasses, with seed-head fibers such as those found in
goatsbeard, thistle, or milkweed woven throughout. The
little cup-shaped nest is attached securely to a sapling
or shrub branch with spiderweb silk, and I have seen
many during the winter as I ski through brushy meadows
and open swamps. They are hard to see during
summer, when leaves help camouflage the nest. The mating
ritual is always fun to watch, with plenty
of aerial acrobatics as several males compete for the
attention of a single female. There must
have been a hundred goldfinches swooping over the east
meadow earlier this morning. This
display can last for weeks before they finally settle
down and lay some eggs. Watching
birds on Gomer Hill is a fine way to pass some time, but
now I must get busy in the
garden, putting out the late broccoli seedlings and
thinning some annual flowers.
Have a great day,
Daisy
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