No plums for you.

In keeping with my To Do list for the year, one of the first orders of business around the ranch was to remove our dead and dying street trees and replace them with healthy saplings. While we're at it, we've got a large stump in the front rose bed we're looking at removing, our cherry tree is quickly growing too large and needs a professional pruning and the apple and pear in the front could probably use a good pruning by a trained eye as well.

As for our plum tree, you may remember last year that it never grew. It briefly budded late in the season, but then went dormant. The first year we were in our house the plum tree was beautiful and gave a hefty harvest. In fact we still have some canned whole plums and plum jam from our first summer in the pantry. One day when I was out working in the yard a woman stopped while driving by to let me know her niece used to live in our house and that the plums were delicious; they enjoyed them every year. But then, this last year - no plums. No flowers. No leaves. We've had two arborists confirm, the plum tree is dead. I'm very upset by this. If one of the trees was going to die, why couldn't it have been the cherry tree? It's almost too tall to harvest from anyway!

Moving forward we will have to make a new plan for future trees on our lot. I have been wanting to get some of the multiply-grafted fruit trees. Several varieties of one fruit, ie apples, plums or pears, are grafted onto one tree. Then from one tree, each branch grows a different variety of the same fruit. Maybe we will put in a small studio in the backyard where the plum tree used to be. Though this opens up space for new possibilities it is so sad to see a mature tree that had spent so many years to get to the point it was at, have to go. We will be doing the tree removal in a few weeks and then start replanting.

A look back at 2011.

It's time for the clip show entry of the year! I made this list at the start of January 2011 (italics were completed):

January:

• Learn how to use sewing machine
• Sew something
• Research organic pest control
• Better tree pruning

February:

• Begin organic pest control
• New raised beds
• Begin testing soil, amending
• Start regular fertilization

March:

• Put in Fence

April:

• Grow own herbs, preserve

May:

• Make a soft cheese

June:

• Sew something better

July:

• Get in summer canning routine

August:

• Better fall/winter garden prep
• Set up grow lights for Spring? - at least Fall.

September:

• Increase pickling repertoire
• Dry something

October:

• Have cold frame
• Make one personal bread recipe
• 70% vegetable growth - through winter

I wouldn't say it's the most accomplished year ever. There has been a lot of thinking and a lot of planning going on in my head this year; there has been plenty of time for thinking.

This year I have worked harder than I ever thought I could without being miserable and losing my mind. The argument could be made of the latter, of course, but overall I think I have managed to hold myself together pretty well. Running has been a large part of that. I don't often write about that here, but I am slowly becoming a runner. I am aiming for miles and I have training programs I am following. I am running on average over ten miles a week now, which to a real runner is peanuts, but to me was unthinkable at the start of the year. It was unthinkable for most of my life. It is something that I don't think I am naturally inclined toward. It is something that I persevered to. It is only through sheer stubbornness that I am becoming a runner, and I can feel the benefits of that, not only physical, but largely mental, spilling over into other areas of my life. Knowing that I can accomplish something if I just keep at it, knowing that slow and steady will get me to the end, becoming strong enough to just sit in the mental anguish of something you don't want to be doing and somehow making that enjoyable. It's been a growing year for me, physically and mentally.

I knit a lot this year. Like, a lot. When I look back at where I was a year ago by skill I have to say I'm pretty impressed with myself. I am mostly fearless trying new things with the needles. I'm tackling lace with a vengeance right now. Fair Isle, though, is something that still scares and intimidates me. Next though, next. Slow and steady. One thing at a time.

I got engaged this year. Crazy, man! I started to feel older this year, more set in a path. I turned 30 and owned a home. I was exploring new things, certainly, but there was a feeling of ease of having finally completed the gauntlet of my roaring twenties and being able to relax into the next phase and then I became a fiancee. Suddenly I am young and inexperienced again. It is just the beginning and an entire new life is laying itself out in front of me.

I dubbed last year "The Year of Frugality". It was, mostly. I have faltered on the frugal-ness of my life the last half of the year. But, monetarily speaking, I am where I should be right now and that feels pretty good. Frugality will continue into next year and there are always areas where improvements can be made. Our biggest splurge is eating out. But, when you get home at 7:30 and have to be in bed by 9:00, sometimes there just isn't enough time to cook. The longer work hours, which bring more pay, just result in spending more money to be able to maintain the long work hours to get more pay...etc... Hopefully next year will bring relief from that vicious cycle.

Next year will be "The Year of Beginnings". I have a feeling a lot of things will change next year that I am not even anticipating right now. But I think choices made in the coming year will set the path for many years to come. There will be the start of a marriage. There will be the start of a new garden (come next Fall). There will be the start of a plan for what we want our life to be. Crazy, man.

My list in progress for 2012:

January

• Remove Trees from parking strip
• Get back room set up for starts
• Get sewing machine set-up
• Research solar panels. Is it worth it?

February

• Replant Trees
• Build Fence

March

• Make cheese - mozzarella, paneer, ricotta
• Rain barrels in front

April

• Landscape back strip with mints, tall grasses
• Get clothes line on patio

May

• Have sourdough starter

June

• Get married
• Run a half marathon

July

• Canning routine (pressure canner?)
• Pickles, pickles, pickles

August

• Greywater for laundry??

September

• Wood floors!

November

• Remove grass from front and side yard

We'll check back in with this list in about a year. Happy New Year!!

Around the House.

The big success of the winter garden: Nantes Carrots. Every carrot is great. They are all large and evenly shaped and very, very tasty.

And a Lemon.

Our "mystery squash" and a store bought pumpkin were Fall decor in front of the fireplace. We ate the pumpkin in a curry the other night, which will get turned into a soup this weekend. There is still half a pumpkin in the fridge that will get turned into puree and then other lovely edible concoctions. I'm thinking Creamy Pumpkin Penne. Yum.

That "mystery squash" turned out to be a pumpkin hybrid. Squash are notoriously hard to save seed for as they will cross-pollinate if within a quarter-mile of another variety of squash. Whatever this turned out to be must have been a neighbor's pumpkin that crossed with something we planted. Who knows! When we cut into it the flesh was stringy, almost like a spaghetti squash, but not fine enough. All in all inedible, but a neat evidence of the crazy hybrids that came come from poor seed saving, or in our case, compost tag a longs.

And another Lemon.

We bought a tiny tree this year. It's about four feet tall and leans toward the wall at about a 15 degree angle. It's nice and full though, and fits just right in our tiny house. As long as we don't touch it, it shouldn't fall over.

The Knitting Post.

I mentioned I have been doing a lot of knitting lately. I can knit at work when things are slow and I am there for 50 hours a week now, plus commuting time on the train to knit, plus it's cold and dark anytime I'm at home, so I knit while watching TV. Here's what I've been doing:

Rose Bud Beanie. OK, to be fair, I made this in the Spring. It just only made it to its recipient recently and got its photo taken. It was my first lacy project and it was pretty challenging to start. I think it turned out all right in the end.

Texas Sweater. I made my mom a cardigan. She's always cold, but it is still Texas, so it's a nice, light sweater if you leave it draped, or you can wrap it to make it warmer. I splurged on the yarn - it was so nice and soft! I kind of want to make one for myself now.

Hat by Request. I whipped this one up for my sister-in-law's birthday. I had been toying with cables, but this is the first finished project using them. I didn't think it was working very well the whole time it was on the needles, but once I got it off and finished and on a head - it looked great!

Sky Scarf. I posted about starting this one a couple months ago. One row a day, color dependent on the weather. As you can see we've had a surprisingly blue winter. There was that one week in there that was soppy, but we've had no rain and either clear or foggy skies for over a week now. Wacky.

Portland Fog. These were my traveling project over Thanksgiving. I had 10 hours of flying time to work on them. I finished them really quickly, despite being a more complex pattern. It was about 2 good days of knitting per hand. They are my favorite accessory now. I want to be wearing them constantly.

Phew. So, that's a lot of knitting! I didn't even realize it until I put it all in one place. I have several work-in-progress going right now too. "Not So Secret Christmas Hat", some leg warmers for those cold morning bike rides, and a cabled cowl that may or may not ever get finished. I kind of lost my gusto on that one. If you are a Raveler you can find me there as bomburdoo. Happy winter knitting y'all!

A Brief Pop-In.

This is my first year to be on a seed catalog mailing list. Well, a digital catalog anyway. There is a great little seed company just down the road from me in Albany, Oregon called Nichols Garden Nursery. You can find them in a lot of the nurseries around town and I have had really good luck with their seed stock so far.

I've been virtually leafing through their wares and marking things on every page that I want to plant next year. The list will need to be pared down, most certainly, but it's fun to dream right now. I'm getting excited thinking about fresh heads of butter lettuce and how next year I'll successfully grow a cabbage. Excited and nervous. My whole family will be here in late June for the wedding. That garden better be spectacular!

In other news, our garden still has carrots. One thing that went well this year was carrots. I pulled up a few for some Minestrone this weekend and there are still several small rows in the garden. I planted a Nantes variety this year and it has done great. Strong and long carrots with a beautiful color. I know now why it is such a mainstream variety. It will be a standard in the garden for years to come.

I found the cable to my point and shoot camera! That means no more crappy cell phone photos! One of these days I'll get around to getting a nice digital SLR, but it's not on the top of my list. I've snapped a few shots around the homestead and I'll get those up soon, along with photos of all my recent knitting. I've been doing a lot of it.

Planning for next year.

There isn't much happening in the garden right now. Actually, there's nothing happening in the garden right now. It was a bad year all around. The weather was uncooperative and I didn't have the time to devote to it anyway. We do still have a bit of chard and some arugula growing that will suit a meal or two. I have cabbages and brussel sprouts and collards, but they didn't get a good enough start and won't amount to anything I'm afraid. Again, just not enough time to devote to getting it right this year.

Now I'm looking to next year. I really need next year to be a good year in the garden. I need it for my sanity. I need it for hope. I need it for food! We have been talking about tearing out the yard entirely and transforming the front and side yard into an edible landscape. I am just now starting to read up on permaculture and its design principals, which I think is going to be the way to go for us. The key here is that I'm just starting. I also have a job that isn't going to let up on the overtime until well into the Spring and the growing season. Plus there's that wedding I'm planning. Oh, and some fool (me) signed up for a half marathon right about that time too.

After a little discussion I think tearing out the yard is off the table for next year. It is simply too much to put on my plate. It will be one more year in raised beds. One more year of limited space. Then 2013 we can go crazy!

One thing I know I will need for next year to really make it more successful is a couple beds with cloche covers. It should be simple enough with some plastic sheeting and PVC pipes. This will keep temperatures in those beds higher than the actual temperature. I might get some decent peppers with this method, better tomatoes and earlier Spring greens and later Fall greens.

The other challenge will be seedlings for next year. The past two years I have grown my seedlings in our great big southern facing living room window with built-in shelves. We are getting our windows replaced this Thursday and those handy shelves will be gone. In exchange we get a modern energy efficient window, instead of single paned glass from 1951. I'm not sure how I'm going to do the starts next year. I could set up lights in the garage and grow them on our work table, but the garage is uninsulated and will be too cold for them, unless I get a heating pad too. I'm also a little afraid of burning down the house this way. I may have to try and set something up in the back bedroom with lights. It's pretty crowded back there already though; it's the catch-all room. I guess I'll figure something out.

I got my first seed catalog in the (e-)mail the other day. It's that time of year where there is nothing but hope and possibility and dreaming of how much better next year will be.

Winter is Coming.

The garden has been given up on, as has any hopes for a social life. My job has finally broken me and I'm just not even trying anymore. Sure, I'm still making bread every couple weeks and when the milk starts to turn I make yogurt. Maybe next year we'll rip out the grass and expand the garden, but maybe not. I'm just not even going to think about it right now. Winter is coming and the biggest thing on my mind right now is knitting and preparing for the long, dark, wet of it.

We are finally getting new windows for the house. It's going to be glorious. We're upgrading from single-paned and aluminum framed to triple-paned and insulated vinyl framed. It should lower the heating bills substantially and make sitting on the far side of the living room bearable without an extra layer.

The cooler and shorter days are making knitting seem much more pleasurable too. I had to force myself to knit through the summer. There were so many other things I could be doing and needed to be doing, but now it seems a lot more seasonal. I'm about three-quarters of the way through my current big project. I've got two more projects in the queue with yarn already bought and I just started up a new experimental project last night. I went a little nutty with the online yarn ordering. It was all so cheap!




I'm starting on a "conceptual knitting" project, a Sky Scarf. The idea is you knit one row every day. The color of that row depends on the color of the sky. I have also seen people do mood scarves, with a different color for each mood and even an exercise scarf, tracking their different activities with greens and reds and gray for days they didn't do anything. That's good motivation - try for as little gray as possible!




For my Sky Scarf I have three shades of blue and three shades on gray. I'll be done when the scarf is long enough to suit my fancy. It will probably be done in the late Spring. I think it will be a pretty cool thing and end up mostly gray in the middle, flecked with short spurts of brilliant blue.