Yardward!

FINALLY got around to raking leaves. This whole search for employment with monetary compensation is driving me insane. It's amazing what people call "jobs" these days. Ugh. So, of course, when raking leaves, neighbor is happy. We had quite the nasty leaf collection going on in the front yard. I kept hoping the wind would blow them all into other's yards, but as luck would have it, the wind turned against us and we were the recipient of all of the neighborhood's leaves. I feel like a shelter for the adrift.

So we raked them all up and in a fit of "what am I going to do with all of these" created a leaf wall, a la the HGTV Living Wall. It's not as nice, and I'm still deciding what to plant on it. Phlox? Echevaria? Passionflower? Moonflower? Sweet Pea? Nasturtium? All of it? It's over in the side yard. I just know I do not want to plant ivy. Unless it's not english. An ecological threat, according to our government. And yet it is still sold in nurseries. Crazy.

Alternative plant suggestions include Allegheny pachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens), American or common bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), passionflower vine (Passiflora lutea), Dutchman's pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla), and native wisteria* (Wisteria frutescens) -- * but not invasive non-native like w. sinensis or w. floribunda.

Ah, The Weather From freezing one day to really-really warm the next. No wonder I live here. The plants all survived, although I'm sure they looked funny covered in tarp and plastic. I'm glad noone stole the blankets. The radishes are up, the lettuce is up, and the spinach ... Sad. There just aren't any nutrients in the soil, even with the three bags of compost and humus and topsoil. So that area of the yard is going to be a "not right now" project. The dogs have managed to kill most of the grass in the side yard. I suppose I need to research when I can till. Garden care for public spaces. I'm sure there's a book. Too bad the "public" means dogs in my case. And all they ever do is bark bark.

Hmm. I thought I've updated since the third. It's ver'very cold and I covered the plants last night. Half an inch of ice on the dog water (the dogs were safely in their heated dog-room with a smaller dog water to slake their thirst. What else. Mmm. Tired of s'mores. Made cookies instead. I feel like such a traitor to the holiday. And now I'm cookied out, too. The boy wants to order a pizza. It must have something to do with the day of movies yesterday. Too many. And last night, Michael Jordan, of all people, was in my dreams. Weird.

Having fun with header tags

Got the ingredients for ginger-s'mores houses but wasn't able to make them as a friend came over for dog sweater measurements. Yes, I've committed to knitting a little sweater for her puppy boy. All of my needles are still in storage since the move. But they've got to come out sometime. Why not now?

I have made the resolution that this will not be the month where I have a libation every evening. Especially since it was reported that New Zealand researchers found the benefits of alcohol were outweighted by the alcoholism itself.

Was inspired by a gingerbread house at the local food mark-up. Almost took down a kid with my basket as she ran across the aisle to look at it. Sometimes I wonder about parents, but then I'm not one.

On the first day of s'more-mas ...

In a flurry of email exchange, we decided to have s'more every day of the month. S'more-mas. We're using the more traditional campfire method for making our s'mores, as opposed to the Casa Moda S'mores maker. I like the idea, if just so it makes making breakfast s'mores even easier (who has to get out of bed?), but it's just not the same. Tonight - gingers'more houses.