Fire Fly/Long Days TIme

Garlic scapes in the garden

It's that time again. The full moon is here and another update from Thistledown Gardens.
Summer has finally found us. The garden is growing and the freezer is slowly being filled:

Peas and raspberries

peas, raspberries, strawberries,

Currants washed and ready to package

red and black currants,

Chard waiting to be chopped

and Swiss chard.

Soon I'll harvest the garlic and shallots. The summer vegetables are just starting to bloom now.








We've gotten a few miscellaneous tasks done this year. In addition to wood chipping the garden and small fruits, I refinished the top of my kitchen work table and we cleaned up our flower border, adding a hard edge and a layer of wood chops. Both of these jobs have needed to be done for a few years now.

Improved border garden

And now, a drum roll, if you please....
The bathroom is finished!!!
Perhaps you readers are as relieved to hear this as we are to say it. It's all passed inspection. The inspector said, "I've seen a lot of bathrooms, and this is really nice!". We're very pleased with the end result.

First view - lots of storage space flanks the sink

Soaking tub

Message table area 

Commode with bidet (ooo so nice)

There you have it. A lot of work, yes. But well worth the effort.










We won't begin another house project until the late autumn. In the meantime, I'll divide my time between house and garden chores and helping Bob get in the winter's wood supply. Bob will divide his between wage earning and bringing in the winter's wood. Our old dog will continue to sit in the grass and watch the chipmunks. There you have our life. All excitement, I know.

Enjoy your summer. Harvest what you can; vegetables, flowers, memories, whatever.
See you next month,
Kathleen, Bob and Lunette

One of Bob's shiitake logs in fruit

Bright Time/Flowering Time 2019

Fragrant shrub roses

The full moon is once again at hand, and it's time for another update from Thistledown Gardens and the Romicks.

Bright Time has been more gloomy than bright, as our stinky weather continues. We did have sun three days in a row last week! Bob heard that it was the first three consecutive days without precipitation since September. I can believe that! Let me tell you, we jumped right on those days to take advantage of the dry stretch.

Bob using the rented sander

During that time we sanded and sealed the bathroom floor.
The sanding was more difficult that we anticipated. Asphalt tiles had been glued directly onto the floor boards, and the adhesive had penetrated into the wood.

Much hand sanding was needed on tough spots

As we sanded, it warmed up the glue and boy, did things get gummy! After twelve hours of struggle, we called it "good enough".

Applying polyurethane

The next day I sealed the floor and it looks good. That left us with one good day for it to dry.
We'll let it cure until next weekend. Then we will install the fixtures. By the next update, you'll see a finished project!

A glimpse of the finished floor

The garden is all planted, except for the fall beets and carrots.

Setting in Lima bean plants

The growth has been SLOW! We're still buying produce at the grocery store.

Setting in tomato plants

I need to buy a huge sun lamp to hang over the garden so things can begin to grow!

Recovering in the fresh air

Lunette had her surgery. She had some trouble coming out of the anesthesia, but is fine now. Let's hope that's the end of that trouble.

Nest on compost pile fence

The birds have all fledged from our three Robin's nests. We found the third on the corner of our compost pile fencing. Goofy birds.

Strawberry bed in bloom

We're looking forward to some strawberries, if we get some more sun. They're just starting to change color now.










That's about all for now. Let's all start to seriously hope for some fine weather to come and stay!

Till next time,
Kathleen, Bob and Lunette

Shoots Show/Growing Time

Miniature Daffodils in our bird garden

The moon is full tonight and so ends our month of Shoots Show/Growing Time. It's been a very lack luster month, weatherwise. We've had almost non stop cold, rain and fog. My poor peas are only an inch tall! It's been so bad that I can't even get the plants hardened off.

Setting out Kale plants today

Today we had a nice day and I finally set out all of the plants that should have gone out at the end of April.

Early spring herb bed

The herb bed is looking lush. These herbs like the cool and damp weather.










We haven't been able to do much planting in the garden, but we've used our time to improve the garden area. We've cut down the amount of planting space to 2,212 square feet. This was done by removing four feet of less productive area around the outside edges.

New northern edge of garden

We laid ground cover over this area and covered it with wood chips. This gives us a nice four foot edge between the lawn and the planting beds. Maintenance will be much easier.

New southern edge of garden

 We also laid ground cloth around our small fruits plantings. We are still in the process of laying chips here. Bob gets the chips free in Ithaca, which helps the budget.

Despite our lack of produce from the garden, I have been able to get some things into the freezer.

Chopping herbs to freeze

I've got six boxes of chopped mixed herbs put away, That's my quota for the year.

Rhubarb sauce ready for the oven

Yesterday I made ginger rhubarb sauce and froze ten boxes.












The weather is apparently conducive to the growing of mushrooms. We got our first three shiitakes of the season last week.

Six inch Shiitake

As you can see, one was huge! A meal in itself.

Morels from our woods

Bob found morels in our woods and we got three nice meals from them.












The weather has also been holding up progress on our bathroom project. It's too cold and damp for the sealer to cure properly, so the floor work isn't done yet. We've been dragging our feet a bit. Bob is still quieting squeaks and I'm sanding edges that the big floor sander won't be able to reach.

Installing ceiling trim

All of the ceiling trim is up and it looks very nice.











We've been enjoying a variety of birds in our yard and at our feeders: Humming birds, a Red Breasted Nuthatch, an Indigo Bunting, several Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, White Crowned Sparrows and Baltimore Orioles.

Apple blossoms

The Orioles have been especially interested in our blossoming fruit trees. The nectarine was the biggest hit. (It's my favorite, too!)

Robins are nesting outside both of our back doors. It's a bit troublesome, but it's only for a short time.

The dreaded cone

Our Lunette had been a bit unwell. She has a sore which is not healing. We've been tending it daily as per vet's orders. She has to wear the cone to prevent her licking the area. She's scheduled for surgery to remove the spot on Tuesday. I hope the recovery is quick. It's been a long three weeks already.






That's about all of the news for now. Let's hope the weather is finally turning around so things can get growing.

Till next time, take care,
Kathleen, Bob and Lunette

Lovely morel mushroom

Windy Time II/ Awakening

Lovely Daffodils

Snowdrops in our woods

Awakenings. Have you been looking for them?


They're showing up all over; flowers bursting forth, gold finches becoming a brighter yellow...

Sorrel in the herb bed

Chives in the herb bed

...herbs are shooting up, the grass getting greener, peepers are peeping.














We've had a productive month here. The bathroom renovation is moving along. I worked like a bee and have the ceiling, walls and trim all primed and painted. The room has five doors and to windows which face due south and west.

Vivid color!

The fixtures will be white, and it's a very bright room, so I chose a rich, deep purple for the walls. We love it! It will be very striking when all done.

Another view of the walls

Now I'm working on the doors. I'm halfway done. Then I will paint the trim to go at the ceiling.

Tub partially unpacked sitting in the front room

Our tub came last week. We won't install it until we get the floor done. That's the next thing to be done. We want to wait for the weather to warm up a little before we apply the finish. In the meantime, we'll get it all prepared.








And what's any home renovation project without a mishap? Bob was using his nailer to attach some door trim and hit one of our baseboard heating pipes dead center. Water (under pressure, of course) came spurting out! There was nothing to do but let it bleed itself out.

Wet floor by pierced pipe

New pipe. All fixed.

The heating specialist came that afternoon and repaired it. We won't make that mistake again!

As Bob rightly noted, "It's better than a trip to the emergency room." Isn't that the truth!










We're just starting to get things done outside. I've got all of the plastic mulch from last year pulled up, the rose bush has been pruned and the herb bed has been cleaned up.

Lovage coming up in the herb bed

Of course, the seedlings are still growing under the lights in the cellar. By the next update things will have been planted outside.










Bob has moved my clotheslines, sprayed dormant oil on his fruit trees and pruned the raspberries. This weekend rain is predicted, so he'll take off the snow thrower and install the mower on his lawn tractor. Now that's a seasonal change milestone!

Spring is birthday time for us, here. Bob's birthday was this week. Mine was in March. He's finishing a decade, while I'm just beginning a new one. Since this was a significant birthday for me, I felt it merited some thought. I spent about eight months prior thinking about what I wanted in this next phase of my life. Several things came to the surface.

My Jolie harp

One thing that rather surprised me was that I wanted to learn to play the folk harp. I enjoy Celtic harp music and this will bring me pleasure and keep my brain active. I was able to purchase a mid sized (33 string) floor harp which arrived last Thursday. My lesson materials arrived on Saturday. I'm on my way!

I love this harp's tone

It feels like I'm back in the fourth grade, trying to master such greats as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie". My brain is certainly getting a workout! This is one of my personal  "awakenings"

Cherry Berry pie

Bob didn't get a special present this year. He got his last year - his electric car. He's happy with that (and his birthday pie).









That's the news for now. Here's wishing you many new beginnings.

Kathleen, Bob and Lunette

Bloodroot in our woods

Ice Time/ Windy Time I

And so, the garden begins

The full moon is upon us, and so another month comes to a close. This has been the month of Ice Time/ Windy Time I. Now in the mornings when I take my walk there's ice along the edges of the creek and the wind blows most of the days.
It's a time of seasonal transition, which changes minute by minute. One minute it's sunny, the next there's a snow flurry. Sometimes both happen simultaneously. But spring is coming. I hear the Red Winged Blackbirds calling when I walk now. Coincidentally, this full moon falls on the Vernal Equinox. This is our Festival of Awakening. As you see by the photo above, we're already preparing for spring's awakening, and watching for signs of awakening in nature and in our spirits.

Bob's been busy on the bathroom project.

New ceiling and patched walls

The walls are mended, the ceiling is up and all of the joints have been taped and mudded.

Mudding a tricky corner

A lot of fussy work had to be done around the plumbing enclosures.

Access boxes for pipes to second floor 

But the pipes to the second floor are now all hidden behind access panels.


Now he's patching a couple of holes in the floor.







I've been preparing the woodwork for repainting. I've just a bit more work to do. Hopefully I'll be priming and painting walls, ceiling and trim within the next month.

As I mentioned last time, our larder is running low, as it always does this time of year. We begin to eat a lot of sprouts to get some fresh vegetables in our diet: peas, clover, alfalfa, lentil, sunflower, radish, and such. I have several different types of equipment to use, depending on what I'm sprouting.

Sprouts in three stages of growth

Something is always ready to use, or getting started. It takes a bit of planning to have something always at the ready.

Now is also the time to begin some of the seeds which will be transplanted into the garden. On the 15th of  March I sowed the cold loving plants, and some of the warmth loving plants that grow a bit slowly. Many were already up by the 18th.

Sowing seeds for transplanting

These seeds are in the cellar under the lights until about the middle of April, or so.












That's about what we're up to: bathroom work and starting seeds. Soon we'll get outside and begin cleaning up the yard and garden.

Lunette is about the same as always. Tracking mud through the house on a regular basis. Perhaps I should call next month, Mud Time.

Till next time, take care and watch for Awakenings, within and without.

Kathleen, Bob and Lunette