October Surprise

This has been a summer unlike any I have ever experienced in Seattle. I think there were around 46 days with temperatures in the 80’s. While that may be normal, or even cool, for most of the country, it is unheard of here. I think the last time this happened was in 1958. Even though we are now in the last half of October, it is still warmer than normal.

I have been using my pellet stove in the mornings but haven’t turned on the house heat yet. Squash, tomatoes and eggplant are still growing in the garden.

Look at the flower I cut this morning! The colors aren’t quite as vibrant as earlier in the year, but it is still beautiful.

This is the first post written after activating a different theme (i.e. a new format, new colors, etc.). Considering changing to a new theme was part of Blogging 201: Assignment 2

Wordless Wednesday

Why?

When I was walking in my neighborhood two weeks ago, I saw this tree stump and wondered why it had been decorated it this way. After pondering it for some time, the story I made up was that the homeowners didn’t want the tree there and didn’t want to take out the stump. I suspected these materials were placed in this way to keep people from tripping over it. Continue reading “Why?” →

I Love My Worms

I have been vermicomposting for several years now. That is a process where red wiggler worms eat ground up food waste and excrete castings that become an incredibly rich fertilizer for the garden.

I have a Worm Factory that is meant to be kept indoors. I keep mine in my kitchen except during late spring and summer. During those months, I put the Worm Factory outside, on my back deck.

Last week, I made a snack for myself- raw food balls created from dates, almonds, peanut butter and dried cranberries. Once the balls were formed, I rolled them in coconut flakes. I wondered if my worms would eat the extra coconut, so I put some in the bin. They loved it! The next day, I gave them the rest of the coconut, and then put some leaves and unusable squash from the garden into my food processor. Once those items were processed, I added them to the worm bin as well. I had happy worms!

I have been trying to take a good video so you can see what the bin and the worms are like. My efforts were hampered by the fact that when I uncover the bin the worms are moving quite fast, but when the bin floods with light they either freeze or burrow further down into the bin. Finally, I figured out how to do it. Enjoy! (Hint: You will see the most worms towards the end of the video.)

As my post title says, I love my worms….. and my garden loves the vermicompost!

Wordless Wednesday

Mystery Solved!

When I was talking on the phone this morning, my eye happened to notice a leaf on my back deck doing a most peculiar thing. I watched it for quite awhile and was totally stumped. When I finished the call, I went outside to take a look.