A New Leaf

In our house today it was No-Computer, No-TV, No-bumming-about day, in celebration of the fact that we’re getting shack-wacky and have lives going to waste coz winter sucks

What better stuff to do than garden? That’s a hypothetical question!

New gardens coming soon! Some ‘before’ pics:

The soon-to-be veggie patch right in amongst the flower garden, the left side of the path:

Thrilling pic isn’t it?  There’s no good place to get a good view for a photo, so all you’re seeing is dirt and more dirt and a few weeds. Oh, and a carnation struggling to grow against the trellis! yay!.  Hopefully I can find a way to get a better pic for the ‘after’ photo.

I chose that area for the trellis, it seemed like a great place for tomatoes and beans. I’m not sure if it gets enough sun… and I’m not sure if I can stop the water draining downhill to the driveway, but I’ll find out!

And the right side:

Does that look like an abandoned garden or what? I don’t know what’s going in this bit yet, but hopefully something colourful because it’s a bit bland there now that the house has been painted white. (That white is called Slate Grey. HAH! Looks like white to me!)

‘after’ pics to come, if the weather gives me a chance to attack these gardens again…

I’ve ordered some seeds from ecoseeds and in the next few weeks I should have a bundle of seedlings growing around the house ready to go in these new patches of garden when winter pi$$es off.

I helped Kiddo tidy up some of his bedroom (this is newspaper-worthy, seriously – however it never would have happened if he hadn’t lost his glasses! Don’t ask me how you lose something incredibly important like a very expensive pair of glasses that you normally wear every waking hour. I don’t get it…)

And then I went back out and cleared even more stuff from those gardens, and from kiddo’s old sunflower patch.

And then I cleaned up all the dirt we managed to drag into the house, even though I could swear we both took off our gloves and shoes every time we went in. Hurumph.

And I really must have been in a house-wifey sort of mood, because I then cooked up 1.5kg of mince with lots of flavour & hidden vegetables. (Oops, too much – doesn’t even fit in one bloomin’ frying pan). So we had Tacos for tucker, and then I turned the rest into a Lasagne and a little wintery mince pie (with sliced potato on top, there’s comfort food for ya), and I still had a pot of mince left over to make little pies with – I got me a pie maker for Mother’s Day, and I even have a good gluten free pastry recipe. Unfortunately it’s only good roughly one in every three times I attempt it… but I swear I’m gunna perfect it some day!

All this hard work was followed with the boring stuff… cleaning up all the mess I’d made in the kitchen, ugh. And then moving heaps of firewood up from the garage. And then burning half of it… it’s been so cold today!

We’re about to be hit by a fairly big storm, which thankfully is dropping most of it’s big-ness on my friend in Auckland right now and draining most of its energy before it hits us (did I say thankfully? I of course meant to say ‘unfortunately’ *cough*) so it’s a good thing we got some time out in the fresh air before we feel stuck inside again.

Tomorrow, if all goes well, we’re finding a good use for a gazillion empty loo rolls & paper towel rolls. I can feel a major marble run coming on!

I’m a single mum, with one son. And yet we are a huge family!
Let me introduce you to my babies:

That’s Taco, Rigatoni, and Pumpkin at the back (6 month old kittens).
Bub and Minx at the front.
Oh how I wish I could have moved the odd socks and the hot water bottle before I took the photo… but the cats would have run, so you’ll have to excuse my pile-o-crap on the bed.

That’s Noodle, pulling funny faces at me because she’s sick of me taking photos. Sorry darlz.  She’s Mum to those adorable kittens.

A couple of years ago I swore I wouldn’t have any more cats. My Tazz-puss had recently died and it was a very emotional time for us. I knew I was too soft and couldn’t handle having any more cats in the house.

Obviously I stuck to my word! About a year later, a friend asked me to have two of his cats. Bub is heavily overweight and he wasn’t having any luck helping her lose weight, so she moved in here along with her Mum, Minx (there is no way those two could be separated!).

A short time later a very sick looking stray cat started getting friendly with us. We thought he was a male kitten. Turns out she is not male and not at all young either. In fact, according to the vet, she’d be lucky to see the end of the month – she’s ancient, she has no teeth, and there’s a cancerous looking growth in her throat.  We were determined to do everything we could to look after her and give her the best life she could have, however short that might be.

Well, it’s been a long time now – and we know it isn’t cancer (phew) and she’s not quite as old as we thought either. Also turns out she was never spayed – and this poor ill cat was suddenly fairly healthy and very pregnant!

So, as if three cats weren’t enough for someone who was never going to have another cat in the house…. how’s 6?  Noodle gave birth to three fabulous kittens, Rigatoni, Pumpkin and Taco on January 13th this year. Awwww. Reckon we can give any of them away? No way! We’re in love and totally attached, so we have all 6 cats.

SIX! A few too many? My wallet thinks so, but I can’t part with them.

But wait… there’s more!

Noodle’s ‘boyfriend’ (Kitties Daddy) was a regular visitor. An un-snipped Tom cat we called Mac(aroni). Mac is a stray too (Did some idiot just abandon a whole bunch of cats around here or what?) so we gave him some attention and snuck him half a meal every now & then – as do a few other people up & down the street.

Last night he had us worried – he was sleeping in our sun porch, not moving for things that would normally make him run, and letting me pat him without any sign of being ready to run like he normally would be. This morning when he was still there I was truly worried – and when he jumped down from the couch and winced in pain, then hobbled off on 3 legs, I knew we were in for trouble.

I thought he had a broken leg. A talk with the vet confirmed that it was quite likely, and that it would cost about $700 to get it sorted. As a single stay at home mum, I don’t have that kind of cash hanging about!  But I was willing to find it, for I am The Biggest Softie There Is.

Thankfully I didn’t have to part with anywhere near that much cash – it’s not broken, he’s just done something painful (probably a fight) and has some bad swelling. The vet gave him some pills and an antibiotic injection. Easy peasy. He’s still hobbling but should be ok in time. He’ll be complaining on Wednesday though, when I gather him up with 2 of his kitties to get (da da da daaaa) the snip.

So he’s gone from being a visitor to a regular – which should have happened a long time ago but I was always paranoid he had a real home somewhere. Now I know he hasn’t – and the vet agrees. There’s no sign of him being looked after, and who would have a tom-cat spraying everywhere? (Other than me… The Biggest Softie There Is).

So here he is, the newest member of our family, Cat number 7, Proud father of 3 kittehs, Mr Macaroni himself…
You think 7 cats is enough for the family? I reckon so. So I hesitate to mention Number 8 who will be turning up in September – however, this is a visitor who will only be around for a month or three while she & her slave – I mean owner – settle into New Zealand and find their own home.

Yes, I AM the mad cat lady!

I’ve read a few times now that vegetable gardening can be more expensive than buying produce at the shops. Can anyone tell me how this works out?

Perhaps it’s just not true for me because I grow a natural chemical-free garden. The only expenses so far were a few bags of compost and some seeds – a grand total of about $30.

Assuming my compost bins & compost patch are enough, I shouldn’t need to buy any more compost. And my supply of seeds is plentiful, though I’m planning a bit of a mini buy-up from ecoseeds. Next year my garden shouldn’t cost me anything at all, if all goes to plan!

So, assuming that my plants are at least 80% successful, I’ll have a good $20 worth of potatoes, and at current prices, at least $10 worth of brassicas (more, I’m sure), a few dollars worth of radishes, and probably more than $15 of Spinach. If my tomato grows there’s another $5 – $20 worth of veggies that I’m not paying a cent for. That’s just what’s growing now – there’s so much more to come once Spring reaches this end of the world!

‘Tom’ is growing in a pot I already had, in dirt from the garden (Sand / compost mix like the other stuff) a few bamboo sticks I had in the garage, and a bit of scrap plastic that I found in the garage. In other words, about 5c for the seed and nothing else.

My seeds are raised in whatever I find – old seed trays, ice cream punnets, old plant pots, and now home-made newspaper pots. They sit in the sun porch or a window sill and only need a bit of water once in a while.

If I need anything, such as my recent plans for a cover to keep the snails & slugs away (got the stuff – haven’t done anything with it!), I can look around the garage, ask my family & friends, or ask on my local freecycle.

So where’s all the expense? What does everyone else put in their garden that I don’t? Do most people buy expensive seedlings instead of growing from seed? Or pay a gardener at $20 an hour? Buy hundreds of dollars worth of garden goodies from the shops every year? Am I missing something?

Is it the time factor? If so, I don’t think that applies to me. Time in the garden is also a great break – quality ‘ME’ time. It’s fresh air and a bit of work – so it’s exercise time too. It’s educational for my son, so it’s school time as well. There is no time lost – if anything, it’s a great merger of lots of different things that I enjoy and time well spent! It even improves my mood and keeps depression at bay. No money lost for the time I put into it either. And, apart from the set up and occasional watering / weeding trips, I don’t actually have to put that much time into my garden. Most days I just go out there to take a look and marvel at the wonder of it all

So does it really make sense? Surely home grown vegetables are beneficial to the wallet?

Either way, I think it’s a great skill to have, and a very healthy thing to do

Newspaper seed pots. Is this a fantastic idea or what?!

I was hoping to come up with a clever plan to avoid using plastic seed trays for my garden. So here they are… make your own newspaper pots! Easy

I’m going to try this out tomorrow, and if all goes well, I’ll be making a habit of it. More plastic avoided and no cash out of my pocket. I love stuff like this

[edited to add: these didn't actually work so well for me - I'm sticking to plastic]

It’s been a few weeks without shampoo – and it’s been easy peasy. I was prepared to deal with (or ignore!) my hair & scalp if they kicked up a fuss, but really, it wasn’t half as bad as I expected.

I have had greasy hair days, yes sir. But only that ‘it needs a wash now’ sort of greasiness – not ‘omg she hasn’t touched shampoo in three weeks’ sort of grossness that I’d expected.

Last week my hair was fantastic, if I do say so myself!  It looked great, it sat where I wanted it, it trailed behind me in the wind, it felt smooth, it was knot free (omg no knots! Long hair – no conditioner – no knots – impossible!!? Apparently not).

I was having visions of my stunning hair catching attention everywhere I went. “Oh my gawd” people would say, having stopped me in the street, stunned by my hair.  “What shampoo do you use, your hair is fantastic!”.  And I’d reply, with a little vain flick of my hair: “Why, I don’t use shampoo at all, in fact my hair is all natural” and I’d puff out my chest with pride.

At that point my fantasy was always ruined, and my adoring hair-fan would become a cynic who thought I must be dirty and a total freak to go without shampoo.

Welcome to my thoughts

This week however… well, what happened?? I really don’t know. It’s just gone to crap. It looks greasy. It wont behave. It doesn’t look clean for any more than about 15 minutes after I wash it.

Two things come to mind… I used a hairdryer a couple of times last week. Something I normally only do a few times a year. Perhaps that’s what my hair needed to look good? Or perhaps it’s dried it out and made it over-react now?

Or, hormones. I’m ever so lucky (hah! ugh! blargh!) to be going through early menopause, which means my hormones play lots of games with me. Perhaps this week is greasy week. Is there a greasy stuff hormone?!  I know I used to get slightly greasier hair with a period so I figure hormones are a possibility.

I guess there’s a third option: Murphy’s Law.  My favourite hair clip died a sudden death while I wasn’t looking. It was on the bathroom shelf when I went to bed that night… and in the morning it was on the floor. In two un-fixable pieces. Ugh. So perhaps Murphy’s Law says that she who loses favourite hair clip will have a week of bad hair days and no way to hide it.

Whatever the issue is, it will be short lived – and even on it’s worst day my hair isn’t as bad as I’d imagined it would be before I started this. I’m still a happy chappy, and I’m still shampoo free, and I’m still loving it

[This is me on a bad hair day]

So I was out in the veggie garden getting ready to plant the first lot of carrots.

I’d read about planting small seeds, and how a line of toilet paper makes it easier to see them & spread them out a bit, and then the paper disintegrates real fast and just becomes part of the dirt. Fantastic. So there I was, with my line of toilet paper sitting over the wee ditch (unintentional pun…) and my hand full of carrot seeds, ready to carefully drop them in.

I had no idea that there was a bird above me, watching my every move, and busting to go toilies.

Unfortunately Mr or Mrs Bird missed the loo paper, and instead managed a well aimed poop right into my hand.

Lovely.

…and I think I’m addicted to gardening.

This is my garden three weeks ago:

And here it is today:

I love to watch it grow!

The potatoes and radishes are growing strong, shame neither of us eat much of either of those veggies!

The cauli / cabbage / brocolli are doing ok regardless of the horrible weather we’ve had lately.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Mr Miniature Tomato is doing his thing. Just one little seedling in the pot so far, from the 6 or so seeds I planted. It’s not doing a lot, but it IS there, and it’s trying, and we all appreciate the effort it’s putting in to growing at the wrong time of year just to keep me happy

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been digging out Agapanthas from the raised garden bed up the back, And today I doubled the size of the veggie garden in preparation for the other veggies I’ve been growing from seed.

My herb garden, which lives in an old concrete double tub, used to look like this:

It was most useful for holding the peg basket while I hung out washing. And collecting rubbish. And growing weeds.

Now it’s had a birthday.  Weeds and pegs and toys and candles OUT, fresh dirt & compost IN. That was all fine & dandy until I decided the whole thing needed to move to make a wall for the new enlarged veggie garden.

Stupid decision.

Any idea how heavy a big old double tub is? A concrete tub. A big heavy concrete tub.

VERY HEAVY!

Kiddo and I removed all plants and every last scrap of dirt, thinking that would make it lighter. Hah. We heaved and pushed and turned and wobbled and heaved some more. We huffed, we puffed, we stopped for breath. We pushed and pulled and giggled at ourselves, we came up with bright ideas for moving it that would never work, but about 45 minutes later we finally had it in place…. only 2 meters away from where it was. If I’d known it was going to be so hard to move I’d never have started – but now we’ve done it, and it’s much better there. We just have to pretend that it’s straight… all that pushing & shoving kicked up my prepared flat area, and now that it’s there sitting on that funny angle I just don’t care. I aint ever moving that thing ever again!

After all that hard work, Kiddo went off to create wonderous things in his tree house.

While I very slowly (oh-so-tired) tidied up, watered stuff, and had another cup of tea. It was hard to move after all that. I think I’m going to have super sore muscles tomorrow!

The cats were working really hard and helping me out big time:

Yeh right.

Ted.com – Jill Bolte Taylor’s Powerful Stroke of Insight

I’d embed the video, if only this silly wordpress stuff let me, but it wont…

This talk by Jill Bolte Taylor is very moving, very educational, and a little mind blowing. I watched with a gaping mouth, too scared to even blink in case I missed something. I came out of it perhaps a changed woman…

It takes a lot to move me, but I have been moved.

Jill’s talk is the most watched on TED.com; that’s an honour she deserves.

Btw, make time to check out other ted.com talks – this is a site worthy of many hours of your time. Hours invested, not wasted! I think I’ve learnt more, seen more, and been awakened more from this site than I ever have from any book / website / movie or study.

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

Two quotes I love – both Dr Seuss. Both make me feel better when I feel like a weirdo for being a homeschooler, or for not using shampoo, or not wearing make up, or not eating much meat, or having to inject myself a trillion times a day, or my interest in spirituality or any of those other ‘weird’ things that are a part of my life.

But they’re not really weird… they’re ME. Thanks Dr Seuss for clearing that up.

According to NZCity weather, we’ve really got some winter coming.

I bet the hail will never happen… but bring on the thunderstorms! I love them

*wonders how the garden will cope*

Geez. I’m becoming a worry-wort over my babies. I mean plants. *ahem*