September ... and the harvest begins!

In order to tell y'all about HARVESTING my balcony garden, I must first back up a couple of weeks ... this video was taken (I DISCOVERED MY CHEAP LITTLE 10 year old CAMERA RECORDS VIDEOS ... COMPLETE WITH SOUND!  HOW EXCITING IS THAT???) on August 13.  Not sure if the video is going to work or not - this is an experiment!  It was a dreary foggy day, and I was quite sure it spelled the end of summer.

 However, we've had a couple more mostly glorious weeks of summer, and my tomatoes and hot peppers went GONZO!  I was picking a "shirt-tail" full of little tomatoes every evening!  I was taking my toast and tea out to the balcony every morning and standing beside the tomatoes chowing down on their sweetness!  (Which is rather amazing cuz this gal HATED raw tomatoes in the early part of my life!)

Yesterday was Labour Day here in Canada, so I got busy harvesting some of my bounty.  18 jars of tomato basil jelly ... all from my own tomatoes and basil!  12 jars of shrieking HOT pepper jelly.  And just cuz I was in domestic gear, two different batches of cookies for the freezer and a couple of loaves of lemon bread, one for the freezer and one for coffee/tea at work today.

 In the process of all this, I discovered a great way to take one's mind off arthritic aches and pains ... process Thai Dragon Chili peppers without wearing rubber gloves!!!  I swear my hands were still glowing radioactive red at midnight last night!

Of course, one must SAMPLE the goodies ... quality control don't you know ... so enjoyed a mid-day crackers, cheese with tomato basil jelly and a glass of Chardonnay!  Yum!

 In an effort to retain some summer sunshine, I knit up these sunshiney yellow socks.  Here is one beside a pot of carrots on my balcony railing.  It was early morning ... VERY early morning so this photo doesn't do the yellow wool justice.

 THIS is a better shot of the yellow.  Note to self:  if you want to take a picture of something sunshiney yellow, wait for the sunshine to appear!  It's an easy arrowhead pattern ... the "arrowhead" can point up or down.

 For these socks, the arrowhead is pointing up.

Will be eating tomatoes for awhile yet, unless we get a killing frost ... that could happen here any night now although the forecast for the week ahead is warm.  Lettuce, peas, and some herbs are now history.  Next weekend I plan to pickle peppers and harvest the carrots and potatoes.

Have a sunshiney great week, ya'll!

Violet Monday

Did you know each day of the week is associated with a particular colour?  Did you know each colour represents one of the body's energy chakras?  I discovered this lately, so have been experimenting with wearing and eating the appropriate colour on the appropriate day.  For example ...

MONDAY is VIOLET day ... so I am wearing a lavender-coloured silk shirt and had BLUEBERRIES with homemade yoghurt and toast for breakfast ... apparently approved by Miss Boots!  (Blueberries are considered both an indigo and a violet food.)

 VIOLET AFFIRMATION: 

Let the violet energy flow through me and cleanse my body to give new life and new energy!

 

In the balcony gardening department, it's now mid-August, and the hot peppers are starting to redden up ...

 ... as are the tomatoes!  (finally!)  Last night, I treated myself to a yummy "Pico de Gallo" dip made with tomatoes, onions, parsley, and hot peppers ... all from my very own balcony!

 The parsley has been well-consumed all summer (by both human and cat!) and is now going to seed.

 And the carrots are standing tall!  I've been eating every second carrot in an effort to thin them out a bit.

 It's been a VERY satisfying garden season on my balcony!  I'm so glad I went veggies this year instead of flowers ...

Kale, lettuce, hot pepper, Lemon Balm, Sugar Snap Peas ...

Cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, nasturtiums

... and I'm quite amazed at the amount of veggies produced in such a small space!  (Okay, nasturtiums aren't technically a veggie ... but the flowers taste darned fine in salad!)

Have you read this book, "The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise" by Julia Stuart?

It's our current SHELF LIFE: SENIORS TALK BOOKS book here at our centre.  If you appreciate British humour or history, it's a great light-hearted read.  If you want to "read" at a deeper level, it's an interesting look at grief and family relations.  I personally give it 5 stars out of 5 stars ... but we'll see what the rest of the group gives it.  (Voting on how many stars is sometimes the liveliest part of the book discussion!)

Have a great week, y'all!

Three Tales from the Balcony

FIRST TALE:  Balcony Appies

Once upon a time, one VERY hot afternoon, a slightly bored human went out onto the balcony in search of a perfect before-dinner appetizer.

 

She took a container of salty Kalamata black olives with her on this quest, and browsed the available balcony vegetation.  She started with a bitter lettuce leaf, added a sweet pea pod, and then a tiny HOT pepper, as well as an olive.

She rolled these items up like a cigar, and munched them down.  Then she browsed the balcony vegetation again and rolled a different selection around an olive.

 

She repeated this over and over, washing each fresh creation down with "something chilled", and contemplating mystery and intrigue on the balcony.

SECOND TALE:  Jack's Bean Stalk

Hey!  That doesn't LOOK LIKE a pea shoot!  I know I've been enjoying Balcony Appies, but I'm quite certain those aren't pea leaves!

And look there ... behind Rhonda and Rhoda the Flamingo twins ... climbing up the post!  That doesn't LOOK LIKE parsley!  Parsley does NOT climb balcony posts!

 

AH HA!  Tight little red flower buds!  I think I might have an answer to THIS balcony mystery ...

 

Jack's bean stalk is climbing up onto OUR balcony from the balcony directly below!

I wonder WHO or WHAT is going to climb up the bean stalk???

 

 

THIRD TALE:  Potato Assassination Plot

 

I am a Norfolk Pine.  As far as seven year old Norfolk Pines go, I'm rather average in size.

Us Norfolk Pines do not grow at extraordinary rates.  We generally produce one modest quartet of branches a year.  I think this year's quartet of branches is quite ... well ... modest.  Norfolk Pines are not generally prone to extravagance.

Unlike the "patio pot-sized" tomatoes who also live on our balcony ... they are growing and spreading at the most alarming rate!  Really!  Such a ridiculous show is quite uncalled for!  And a terribly unnecessary waste of water!

The tomatoes, however, are NOTHING compared to the potato!  Our human planted one little organic potato in the bottom of a giant plastic pot.  Oh, how I laughed!  That little potato looked so silly way down there in that big pot ... it was even too little to see over the edge!

 

And then the little potato grew ... and GREW ... and GREW!

 

Now that damned potato is TALLER THAN ME!  I can't see around it anymore!  As if living next to a crazed tomato isn't difficult nough!  The little potato has even STARTED BLOOMING!  What a show off!  It makes me feel so terribly ordinary and ... rather insignificant.

 

 I can't take it anymore! 

BUD THE SPUD MUST DIE!!!

 

(No potatoes were harmed during the photography for these tales.  However, Bud the Spud has sent a plea for assistance via Jack's Bean Stalk to the Witness Protection Program.)



 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying hard to post more often

And now that I've typed in that title, MY MIND IS BLANK!  Maybe my mind is still in work mode ... and it was a busy work day ... or maybe it's just blank!

What do YOU blog about when your mind is blank?  Or do you wait until you have something brilliant to share?

I have absolutely nothing brilliant to share other than it rained a bit today, my potato is outgrowing my Norfolk pine and my tomatoes are sizing up nicely on my patio.  Miss Boots hasn't done anything remarkable yet today -- no horked up hairballs or unexpected claw swipes -- and I'm not reading anything in particular at the moment.  I'm not even knitting anything in particular at the moment -- am between projects.

Perhaps this is the MOST BORING POST EVER? 

Perhaps this is a sign that I should get rid of my home Internet service and thereby put an end to blank minds and boring posts?

Come with me to my balcony ...

Good morning!  It's a fine sunny Monday morning.  My hu-mom is getting ready to go to work, so I thought I'd show you what's happening on my balcony. 

 Well, OUR balcony ... cuz I share it with my hu-mom.  When she's good.

This is my view when I look out from my living room.  It's sure nice to see green things growing!  My hu-mom tells me those big bushy things up high are radishes and that I won't like them.  She gets all bothered and excited when I jump up on the balcony railing to check them out, so I guess I'll let her think I don't like them.

 I REALLY like lettuce though!  Fortunately, it's growing down where I can help myself whenever I feel like it.  For a long time this spring, my hu-mom got excited about me eating the lettuce faster than it could grow, but now it's growing faster than either of us can eat it.  I'm not too wild about Rhonda and Rhoda the flamingo twins ... they whir their wings in the most annoying manner when I least expect it!

 Here are two more things I REALLY like ... peas and spinach!  My hu-mom stuck those plastic pole things in there to keep me from nibbling on the peas and spinach.  Ha!  They don't really stop me ... but don't tell her, ok?

 My hu-mom is all happy because her tomato plants have flowers.  I have no idea why she's happy about that ... I tasted one, and it was YUCK!

 She's also happy because her hot pepper plants have miniature peppers starting.  They are up high so I can't taste them.  Hmmm ... I wonder what hot peppers taste like?

 Earlier this morning, my hu-mom was sitting in her chair on my our balcony and doing her knitting.  She is knitting a fuschia sock.  I don't think it's for me.

 She told me that she is thinking about adding a fold-down cuff to hide the ribbing, but can't decide what kind of pattern to put on the cuff.  The pattern for this sock is her own design.  It didn't come out of a book.  (My hu-mom thinks she's rather clever when she invents her own design ... silly hu-mom!)

Maybe you bloggy readers have a pattern suggestion for her?  She really hates to have unfinished socks around cuz they tempt me.  What!?!?  Why wouldn't I play with unattended knitting?  Doesn't she realize I'm a CAT?

Enjoy your Monday!

The Creative Colours of June

Here are some pix of the colourful things I've been playing with lately ...

 

Mo the Moose got a makeover ... unfortunately, the sun was shining really bright so you can't see the "PEACE" sign on his left antler and the "FLOWER POWER" sign on his right antler!  He also has bright pink lipstick under that sexy little mustache!  I add a little more "colour" to him every evening ... when I've had enough, I'll give him a clear coat of something to protect him from the weather.

My balcony garden is looking very GREEN.  Yes, that's KALE overflowing it's pot.  And it's very delicious!

 

For some odd reason, my green onions are leaning north ... or maybe trying to lean toward the ground ...

And my pot of potatoes almost need hilling up!

Here's the "nutty" colourful sweater I've got going ... it's worked from the neck down.  I started with white, changed to black and added white "streamers" and "popcorns".  Then yellow and black hound's-tooth pattern.  Then a row of reddish-brown squirrels holding brown "nuts" (popcorns).  Not sure how to transition to ribbing at the bottom ... I'm thinking some red popcorns against the yellow, then back to black and white ribbing?  Suggestions?

I'm contemplating making each sleeve of the above sweater different ... or do you think that would be just too "nutty"?

Here's Miss Boots helping me look at the beginnings of another pair of socks ... very BLUE "Arabesque" by Regia.  It's my "stay sane on the city bus" project for this week.  I can finish a sock in a week just in the time I spend going to and from work on the bus.

I've also been painting Tetley Tea tins ...

Here's a finished one.  Sorry, the pix is a bit over-exposed.  It's flowers and dragonflies on a white background.  Cute for keeping little odds and bobs.

I've also been experimenting with these ...

... cuz they make mighty fine silk scarves!  Seriously!  You just DOODLE on a white silk scarf (but put some protective plastic on your table first) ...

You can doodle on two thicknesses at the same time if you doodle slowly cuz the ink bleeds right through.  (10 mm china silk scarf with hand-rolled hems ... check out www.dharmatrading.com/ )

Once doodled to your satisfaction, spritz gently with rubbing alcohol.  Seriously!  Rubbing alcohol form the drug store in a cheap spray bottle!

If y'all know me at all, y'all know that as soon as I get the hang of some new creative project, I'm out there teaching other people to create it too.  Here's part of a group of senior ladies learning how to doodle on silk ...

 And here's the group modelling their finished scarves!  (It's a great group project cuz folks LEAVE WITH A FINISHED SOMETHING!)  Yes, that's yours truly on the right (the lady with the love handles ...).

 I think my motto for June is MORE COLOUR!  Here's a scarf that I doodled on with the Sharpies ... but I didn't iron it before washing, so my doodles faded out.  Yes, this was on purpose!  (Of course it was!  Uh huh!)  Who needs a washed out pastel silk scarf ... so I doodled some more ... with Shiva PaintStix (check out www.dharmatrading.com/  ... I bought a sampler set of 3 stix)  gold and bronze leaf rubbings in the palest / whitest areas.

 Shiva PaintStix are like oil pastel crayons ... let set for 24 hours then iron to make permanent. This turned out so cool that I'm thinking about adding some glitzy beading to the two ends.  What do you think?