January 17th, 2008
I have a bad, bad case of garden deprivation.
Sure, I could go outside and do some cleaning, clearing and general tidying–not to mention some overdue leaf raking. But, heck. It’s 20 degrees outside! And I’m a wimp! I’d rather stay inside and play with my houseplants. Even when I’m outside with my little extortionist, I can hardly move from one spot.
I am having some green satisfaction. My seed orders are coming in. I managed to get the boards cut for my indoor lettuce boxes like those featured in the February/March issue of Organic Gardening magazine. I have a big Excel file going with a month-by-month, blow-by-blow “to do” list of all the things I need to remember to do in the garden. I have roped my husband into working on the logiics of the chicken coop Taj Mahal we’re building. And I’m also planning some early spring fieldtrips to get even more ideas.
One of my Phalaenopsis orchids. I wish they all looked this good right now!
The U.S. Botanic Garden is hosting the annual Orchid Show February 2 through April 13. This year’s theme is “An Alphabet Garden of Orchids” with–you guessed it–26 displays of several hundred orchids. This would be a wonderful day trip if only they had a tea room or sandwich shop. As it is, there’s nowhere convenient to eat and parking is horrid. I plan to park and lunch at Union Station and take a cab to and fro. If you’re in the D.C. area and want to get together for the event, let me know! We’ll do a blogger’s lunch and enjoy the rainforest and orchids. I can smell the soil and fresh plants now!
In March I’m heading to Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Flower Show, arguably the biggest and best flower show in the U.S. James Dodson wrote about the show and the obsessed gardeners who participate in Beautiful Madness. I plan to head up for a couple of days to tour and sit in on some of the workshops before the men in my life join me for a college visit to Villanova and some general R&R. Who’s going? Raise your hand!
So tell me, what are you doing to get your garden fix when it’s cold outside?
Posted In: Gardening
January 16th, 2008
Well, between that wretched cold, business travel and generally trying to keep my head above water, I have been the victim of extortion.
See this sweet little dog? She may look innocent. She’s not. She’s my extortionist.
The Extortionist, Sarah
Here’s how she operates:
She scratches at the door to go outside. I figure, “Sarah needs to go potty.”
I take her outside–in the freezing cold. She sniffs. She observes the beautiful sky. She wanders around and scratches at the ground.
Nothing. Nada.
We go back inside. A short while later she scratches at the door.
“You didn’t do anything last time.” More scratching. “You’re gonna poop on my floor if I don’t take you outside, aren’t you?”
Innocent look. (See above photo.)
More scratching at door.
We go outside. She sniffs some more. Looks around. Wanders around.
Repeat this scene about 20 times during an eight-hour period, each time with Little Miss Innocent threatening to poop on my hardwood floors.
See what I have to put up with around here? It’s a wonder I get anything done in the wintertime.
Posted In: Dogs and Cats
Hi! I'm Robin Ripley author of Wisdom for Home Preservers, published by Taunton Press. I am also co-author of Grocery Gardening. Bumblebee is about my life in rural Maryland, my garden and my love of food, my little dogs and pet chickens. You can follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook. Thank you for visiting!
by RSS |
by email
To get the latest Bumblebee posts in your email box, just enter your email address.
Baking
Birds
Blogging
bluebirds
brother
bulbs
cake
chicks
daffodils
Dogs
Easter egg chicken
eggs
fall
Flowers
food
garden
garden seating
gloriosa superba Rothschildiana
Grocery Gardening
hellebores
hens
Johnny Cash
Lowe's Creative Ideas
Memphis
Meredith
Miss P
Moss Mountain Farm
My DIY Summer
P. Allen Smith
Palazzo di Pollo
Papillons
Philadelphia Flower Show
Polish chicken
potager
Recipes
rooster
Sarah
seasons
snow
Sophie
spring
T. Boone Chickens
Vegetables
winter
wisteria
