season's last carrot harvest

Last weekend I harvested our remaining beets and carrots--lots of carrots. I never thinned them as thoroughly as I've heard one is supposed to, but that didn't seem to bother these 'Purple Haze' and 'Scarlet Nantes' varieties. Not wanting these beauties to sit in the refrigerator, I made a huge pot of carrot-ginger soup and froze half of it.





I also saved a handful for roasting and salads this week. I'll definitely sow these winners (from Botanical Interests) again next September!

freshly pruned perrenials

pruned purple fountain grass

Last weekend husband Kurt got into the zone and went to town pruning pretty much everything in the front and side yards. Early Happy Valentine's present to me! Tomorrow's forecast is nice, so I'll REALLY have no excuse to not weed the vegetable gardens. Although I'm embarrassed how overgrown I've allowed them to become, I'll probably be brave enough to post before and after photos soon.


pruned indigo spires, ornamental grass (whose name I can never remember), bush germander, plumbago, and Mexican bush sage


pruned plumbago (my biggest, oldest group) and bush germander


pruned (came with the house and is not invasive) ligustrum


again, that ornamental grass whose name I can never remember

part 2 today's Laura Hall hearing

Outside state District judge Flowers' courtroom, lots of television cameras (including the 48 Hours Mystery crew) were set up to get their shots of Laura Hall walking into the courtroom. Hall smiled and said "hi everybody" but admitted she was nervous. When asked how she felt walking into the courtroom, she said, "Last time I hyperventilated, but I know I'm in good hands... as soon as Sawyer (her attorney) gets here." Her aunt told her that Sawyer was in the courtroom, and Hall said, "oh good."

It was a regular docket this morning in state District Judge Flowers' courtroom, not a hearing just for the Laura Hall matter, so there were lots of lawyers and their clients milling around waiting for their cases to be called. Sharon Cave Sedwick (Jennifer Cave's mother) and Jim Sedwick sat with some friends across the aisle at the front right.

Hall sat at the front left of the public gallery with her aunt, father, and grandmother and appeared upbeat and sometimes animated, chatting with her family and occasionally some reporters.

After sitting through more than an hour of docket call, Judge Flowers called a morning break. I stood up and was talking to Statesman reporter Steven Kreytak, when Hall walked up to us, already familiar with Kreytak. Hall and I had never spoken to each other before. She asked us what we thought of the football game last night. Kreytak and Hall are Colts fans, and I am a Saints fan. The three of us talked about the Superbowl for a few minutes.

Another reporter joined us and asked Hall her goal. She said, "trying to clear my record." When asked what she hoped the outcome of her sentencing retrial would be, she said she was hoping for probation. Hall said, "There is a football game and I'm the football, and I'd rather be the quarterback--or the coach."

Hall said she was less scared of all the reporters this time around, adding, "You guys are just people like me." She also said, "I wanted to go to Sarah Lawrence (College) so bad!" She told us she's living with her parents and that although she has a UT government degree, she's not looking for a job right now because all her focus is on her retrial. She added that she was "not going to law school in this state."

After two hours, Hall's case was finally called. Hall and attorney Joe James Sawyer and assistant district attorneys Stephanie McFarland and Allison Wetzel took their respective places. McFarland began, saying that Hall's current appeal bond has expired. Sawyer told Judge Flowers that Hall poses "no reasonable risk of flight", that she's made all her court appearances.

Flowers replied, "Let's just guarantee a speedy trial," denying Sawyer's request to extend or renew the bond, and ordering Hall into custody. The sheriff's deputy kind of had to bearhug Hall to cuff her, and as she was being dragged out she cried out to Judge Flowers, "I'm not guilty! Let me go home! You need to let me go home!"

A few minutes later in the courtroom, Hall's screams were still audible from the holding cell right outside the courtroom. From her reaction, it appeared that Hall had no idea she could be locked up today. I didn't know that was a possibility either.

Judge Flowers told Sawyer that this case would be a priority and then set a March 4 docket call, with a tentative March 8 sentencing retrial start date. McFarland said the state had some discovery she thought Sawyer would want to look at. Both sides seemed a little iffy about being ready for trial March 8.

Outside the courtroom, Hall's father, Loren Hall, talked to reporters. He said his daughter has been working at the family's resort, got her driver's license back, and has been studying for the LSAT. He said, "I know my daughter's innocent."

Sharon and Jim Sedwick spoke briefly to reporters--they'll be witnesses in the retrial so are limited in what they can say--but said they were very pleased with Judge Flowers. Sharon added that it had been a tense morning for everyone.

part 1 today's hearing: Laura Hall remanded into custody; sentencing retrial set for March 8

March 4 is the next hearing. I just got back from this morning's rather dramatic hearing and need to decipher my notes now about the hearing itself and my brief unexpected conversation with Laura Hall. Details soon.

tiny broccoli production mystery solved

While I was at Boggy Creek Farm this morning, I asked owner/farmer Carol Ann about my current puney broccoli production, making sure to tell her that the leaves were big and healthy but the buds were tiny.

When I explained I'd planted it from "Di Cicco" variety seed, she immediately raised her eyebrows and told me Di Cicco is an heirloom variety that only produces little bitty buds like mine, not big beautiful heads, ever. So I'll go ahead and harvest my "precious" tiny Di Cicco buds now and seed "Packman" (early-maturing hybrid with big yields) next time.

finally, broccoli and cauliflower emerge

I'm not really expecting big heads of broccoli or cauliflower from my five plants, but I am pleased to see these little (approximately 2-inch diameter) buds! Plus we can eat the broccoli leaves even if no more heads emerge. Maybe I'll only plant one broccoli and one cauliflower next fall because I've never had great luck with either, and they take lots of room. I think I'd rather use that space for more dinosaur kale and swiss chard.


purple cauliflower! Its innards are white, though.

After more than a week of very mild temperatures, we're drizzly and cold again here with hard freezes predicted for tonight and tomorrow night. I covered all the vegetables an hour ago and moved some potted plants into the shed. What little room I have inside I saved for my potted bay and thyme. I suppose I better get used to this routine. Stay warm, y'all.

vegetable harvest surprises

Yesterday afternoon I headed out to the vegetable garden to resume my long-neglected weeding tasks but got distracted (funny how easily that happens when one's supposed to be weeding) by what appeared to be baby sorrel. I'd seeded some sorrel in that area quite awhile ago and never saw any results and pretty much forgot about it. I tore off a tiny leaf and tasted it: yep, definitely sorrel--cool!



To me, sorrel tastes like a tangier, more lemony, more delicate version of baby spinach and is really good in an omelette with a little chevre or cream cheese.

I also harvested some beets, dinosaur kale, swiss chard, and more cartoon carrots. And although I harvested virtually all my lettuces before our recent hard freezes, the leaf lettuces I covered managed just fine.







That flat leaf parsley plant with the leaf lettuces is at least two feet by two feet. No complaints here!

garden bloggers' bloom day

Considering last week's hard freezes, I was afraid I'd have to resort to drawing a picture of a bloom today, but my efforts to relocate pots and cover plants paid off, for the most part. Good thing I like pansies. Check out other garden bloggers' blooms at May Dreams Gardens--thanks again to Carol for hosting!




miniature rose, 'Red Cascade'


one lone marigold

hello 2010: lots and lots of lettuce!

For the next couple of days, Austin will be lucky to see temperatures climb above freezing, with lows predicted in the upper teens. Yesterday I lugged a dozen potted plants into the somewhat breezy shed, figuring that provided slightly more protection than leaving them outside covered with a sheet.

I made room in our unheated little mudroom for a few of my favorite potted plants, but I had to make even more room for lettuce. I harvested ALL the lettuce, kale, and chard so it wouldn't turn to mush tonight.

Although I gave some lettuce to neighbors and stuffed as much as I could into our refrigerator, my biggest stock pot, a champagne bucket, and a big salad-spinner bowl are still overflowing with lettuces and greens. So I'm going to spend the next few hours making a spicy kale-chard-sweet potato soup and my first lettuce soup. And big Caesar salads, of course.




I harvested just a few carrots because the rest are likely to survive the hard freeze, plus I covered them.

front yard transformation: 2001-2009

True confessions. I wasn't too interested in gardening until about 10 years ago. But once husband Kurt and I decided we WERE interested, especially because we had a blank slate front lawn with which to work, we were motivated. Methodical and slow, but motivated. We vowed not to buy a lawn mower, although we did pay a guy to mow parts of the lawn for several years. Not the most thrifty move but a matter of principle for us at the time.

Our mission was to transform our flat, plain, grass-and-weed-covered front/side yards (we're on a corner lot) to a xeriscaped, lawn-free front yard garden without pesticides. Our side yards are still a work in progress. It's taken eight years, but here are the before and after photos (with no photos of the years of plastic-covered grass-killing).


fall 2001


spring 2002


late fall 2009

more holiday cheer (not gin this time)

In person, I'd seen Christmas balls hanging from large agaves and liked the look but didn't feel good about piercing my plants with those hooks. Then I stumbled across this idea online somewhere and did my own version. Cheers again, y'all!




I had a few leftovers, so I added them to the light pole/fire hydrant corner agave.

foliage follow-up to bloom day

our huge old sycamore

Pam at Digging now invites us to start celebrating our foliage the day after Carol's monthly garden bloggers' bloom day. I agree that blooms shouldn't get all the spotlight!


my neighbors' huge old sycamores


gray santolina and rosemary


potted olive tree with rosemary and Mexican feathergrass


lavender


Like the olive tree, santolina, and lavender, softleaf yucca is in the gray/blue spectrum of greens, but those cool tones don't seem to make me feel colder on gray chilly days like today.


Although the purple fountaingrass has faded for winter, it's still a nice contrast to some of the cooler toned evergreens.

garden bloggers' bloom day

Austin's had two freezes in the past few weeks (!), so many salvias and other perennials look rather brown and mushy at the moment. Mine are all fairly established and should bounce back fine in the the Spring. That said, I only have a few things currently blooming and some of them are repeats from last month. I'm still happy to have any blooms right now. Be sure to check out other gardeners' bloom day posts on Carol's May Dreams Gardens. Thanks for hosting, Carol!


miniature rose 'Red Cascade'


paperwhite narcissus blooming early


trailing lantana


lavender


blackfoot daisies and silver ponyfoot--a little ragged but hanging in there


pansy 'Black Prince'


lettuces and parsley: colorful enough to count as blooms?

Also blooming now are a few marigolds, more pansies, a snapdragon, a bit of Turks Cap, a bit of verbena, and phlox.

holiday cheer: favorite gins

I try not to stray from gardening, house, or trial topics here, but my gardener/landscaper friend Jackie and I were comparing cocktail notes yesterday and she thought my gin comparison information was blog-worthy, so here goes.

Husband Kurt is actually the bigger gin fan, but recently he put me to a blind taste test and it turned out my favorites were the same as his. Junipero, from Anchor Distilling, a small batch distillery in San Francisco, is our favorite. Junipero is a very strong, yet traditional dry gin with complex herbal/botanical/citrus notes.

Number two is the "earthy" gin, Plymouth (England), but I don't have any to photograph. Plymouth is best for a Bloody Mary and, for some, the Paez. There is also Plymouth Navy Strength for those who need to light gunpowder.

Number three is Miller's (England/Iceland), which is similar to Junipero but less complex and maybe better for mixed drinks.

Number four is Hendricks (Scotland), which is lighter, with cucumber and lots more floral notes--a little "girly." Citadelle (France) is probably our number four (very similar to Hendricks but less cucumber), but I don't have a photograph of that either.



Kurt really enjoys a good martini after a day at work, so the choice of dry vermouth is particularly important. Vya (Quady Winery, Madera, California) vermouth is so tasty and smooth that we occasionally drink it straight on ice or mixed half and half with Vya's sweet vermouth. Really, it's that good!

I know many people think Bombay Sapphire is the bomb, but I think it's rot gut. I know, tell us how you really feel, Iris. Cheers!

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with any of these gin or vermouth companies and have not received anything from any of them for free. I have bought all of the products listed on my own.

first season's freeze preparations

I was skeptical yesterday when the weather people said we might get two inches of snow tomorrow, and now they've revised their forecasts to "up to a half inch" of snow tomorrow. Sounds like MAYBE a few flurries to me. I'm much more concerned about tomorrow night's predicted low of 25 degrees (F)! It took me almost two hours today to cover the vegetable beds and a bunch of assorted other plants.



One especially good thing to come out of the freeze preparation is that I was forced to harvest some chard and kale and finally thin some of the baby carrots because I was running out of row cover (not true farmers' row cover, but the stuff I got at Breed and Co.) Stay warm, ya'll!