Day 125: house project finally finished!

Yesterday, the last few paint touch-ups were completed, and this morning the awning guys installed the final awning. Ta da! Our exterior house repair and paint job is finally, officially 100 percent finished today. Of course, "it" is never finished with an older house, but for now we can get back to work on the yard and the veggie garden while enjoying the house’s cheery new facelift.

First indoor seed experiment

I’ve never tried to grow anything from seed inside until now. Although conventional wisdom says one should use extra lights for growing seeds indoors, a friend told me he was having luck with his tomato seeds in cups in his window sill.



So, a week ago, I sowed seeds of Yellow Granex onions, Beefsteak tomato, Cherokee Purple tomato, Aunt Ruby’s German Green tomato, and Sugar Sweetie cherry tomato into little paper cups. I placed them in my sunniest window sills and covered them loosely w/plastic wrap, then spritzed them with the water bottle—the same one I squirt the cat with when she misbehaves--once or twice a day. They’re now all sprouting little half-inch seedlings. It’s so exciting! Really, it is.

Laura Hall: Third Court of Appeals orders new punishment trial

Read the latest from the Austin American Statesman here. There’s a link to the actual opinion at the end.

I attended the oral arguments in front of the Third Court, and you can read my observations in my previous post. And here.

Garden bloggers’ bloom day

We’ve got beautiful weather here today in the 60s and finally got some rain last week, so I can’t complain, but I have few bloomies to show for it. Make sure to check out other garden bloggers’ blooms at Carol’s May Dreams Gardens!


rosemary


lots of rosemary


ruellia, usually not in bloom this early


pansy


once again, taking some liberties: "Purple of Sicily" cauliflower

Two minor usage rants

The word is “disconcerting”, not “disconcearning”, and the word is “height”, not “heighth”. It really only makes me crazy when I hear these come out of the mouths of people on television who ought to know better. Sigh. Okay, I feel better now.

Getting myself back into the garden

I have not been a diligent, vigilant veggie gardener the past few weeks—surprise, I got distracted and started painting my living room instead. But yesterday I took a painting break and made a quick trip to the nursery for transplants. Then I began weeding, thinning, and extracting (I sometimes need to see the reward before I start the hard work.)

I pulled out some bolted arugula and replaced it with shallots, which I’ve never grown but love to eat. I also planted some fennel, swiss chard, two lettuces, and several herbs.





Saturday, I was planning to pull out the five cauliflowers, which hadn't produced, but they must have gotten wind of my plan because by Sunday morning, three of them had tiny florets showing.



We finally got some rain last night! Mud-splattered lettuce, arugula, and spinach never looked so good.