Looking Back at Gardens Past

"The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there."~George Bernard Shaw

Though it's still only mid-April, the beautiful weather has Anne and I thinking of our small urban garden and how we might improve on its past performance. This morning we began staking out some new area, extending the garden by about an area of 3' by 5'.

This work is being done quite a bit in advance our purchase of the plantings from the local farmer's market, likely in mid-May. Before continuing with a visual and journaling record of the 2009 edition of our garden, I figured I'd offer a brief look back at how things went in Spring 2008.

This first image is of the garden bed as it appeared just before our initial attempts to turn over of the soil. The day prior, I had removed a small wooden fence which had separated the area from our lawn in the interest of creating more space for the plants. As you can see, Gracie (our dog) also enjoys assisting, too:


This "story" actually began two years ago (I can't even begin to fathom that it's been that long already!). It was in Spring 2006 that my sons and I constructed our composting pit (pictured at the top of this post), the contents of which we had hoped to use in our own gardens. Last Spring saw the fruition of that goal. Last year, filled with another years worth of kitchen waste, grass clippings and jack-o-lanterns, as in the first image, we had plenty to work with.

This year's pit looks even more ready to go... I'm looking forward to posting some more current pictures soon:


Each year, after tilling the soil in an effort to better turn it over, and removing and weeds, Anne and I willy-nilly dropped a good amount of compost into the dirt. Some of it was rather smelly, which I guess is to be expected:


We then spread it out evenly over the entire area, working it into the soil:


Wallah! It took Anne and I about two days to fully prepare everything for greeting the plantings. Given our goal of increasing the variety of vegetables and amount to be harvested, we can only hope for as fine a pre-planting experience, this year as last!

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Dog Walkin'!

Gracie and Anne following a walk last summer...
once we get a new camera, I'll be able to post more updated pix!
Walk: 2.5 miles in 40:00 min. @ 7:30 a.m.
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 52°F, 42% Humidity, Wind: From W @ 12 mph; feels like 52°F.
Pace: 16:00 min/mile
Course: Around our neighborhood.

After five days having passed by without lacing up my running shoes and hotting the pavement, this morning I resolved to at(at the very least) get out for a walk. For the previous four evening's I had been planning to go for a walk with my wife, my dog, or both, but tiredness and a lack of motivation stood in the way.

Rollin gout of bed, I had decided that "enough was enough" with my waiting to go to the doctor's on Tuesday (a meeting during which he will tell me "nothing is wrong that I can tell... run when you'd like") until getting out and, to be honest, the sitting around was beginning to bum me out. So after checking my e-mail, drinking two cups o' joe, and sitting for fifteen minutes, I woke our dog Gracie and brought her with me for a short (leisurely?) walk around the neighborhood.

Just one time in the past Gracie came with me to a road race, a benefit for the local dog shelter. This morning, however, she is my companion for a walk. The weather was perfect this morning, and the winds remarkably calm, so I deep quite lay upon the neighborhood save the chattering of birds. Gracie and I walked through the streets, I trying to identify the birds by song and Gracie searching for a grey squirrel or two to pester...

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Bird-a-palooza: Suddenly... Birds!

My apologies regarding the sideways video, but if you look carefully at the center of the tree, just above the hanging suet feeder is the White-breasted Nuthatch, to the right on the roof of the shed is a female Northern Cardinal, and on the ground to the left is a Blue Jay. This "archival" (though representative) video was taken a year ago August in my backyard

Date: April 16, 2009
Time: 5:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Location: The back yard of our home in the upstate New York city of Rochester.

Bird Species/Markings/Features: After a long, cold winter with nearly zero evidence of bird-life in our backyard, the past few days have witnessed a veritable explosion of activity. Last evening, while eating a bowl of cereal at the kitchen counter, I noticed two Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) (1 female and one male) flitting between the large tree in the back left corner of our lot, to the fence running along the back, onto both our seed and suet feeders and finally onto the neighbor's small tree to the right of the panorama.

Using the binoculars which we have at-the-ready on the counter to follow them around the yard, it was exciting to see their somewhat vibrant plumage return to the yard.

Notes: I certainly am glad that I took advantage of the warming temperatures this past weekend to fill the feeders. Despite the fact that the North American Grey Squirrels do their best to eat the suet (even after the cakes have been dipped in anti-squirrel hot pepper) the birds don't seem to mind taking what they can from the leftovers caught in the grates of the suet holder.

The increasing number of interesting visitors (Anne saw a woodpecker this evening!) we've had recently to the feeder has made for a fun post-dinner diversion nearly every evening. I need to get more suet this evening while I am out and about...

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Urban Peregrine Falcon Down!

Happier times for Mariah and friend at the peregrine falcon nesting box.
This past weekend (and into Monday's regional news cycle) it was reported locally that Mariah, our downtown area's lone female peregrine falcon had met with some hard times. Prior to this past weekend, the majority of recent updates had surrounded the recent moving of her nesting box and the efforts by some local groups to entice a new mate for Mariah, the ultimate goal being more falcons.

Mariah has had a long and storied relationship with community birdwatchers and passersby alike. Since 1998, a total of 31 falcons have been hatched by Rochester's resident female raptor. The Rochester Peregrine Falcon Project is responsible for choosing the location of the nest box that is described as a perfect nesting place that simulates their natural cliff habitat. (Note: Falcons have been nearly decimated by pesticides. Recovery programs such as the one in Rochester are helping to increase the numbers.)

Given that the "laying season" typically begins during the first week in April, followed by hatching about five weeks later and fledglings 38-to-45-days later, members of the community-at-large have become accustomed to hearing about Mariah's "progress," which is where the unfortunate news comes into play... this past weekend Mariah was attacked and wounded at her shoulder in what has been described as a "territorial dispute" high above the city streets leaving Mariah left with an injured shoulder by the two interlopers. Following the attack, she has been taken to a local wildlife "rehabber."

It is great to see (and hear via the local radio) that this particular story has continued to have such great legs wings, especially as I am all for whatever raises the community awareness of our "feathered friends," and despite the most recent news. In a way, these types of territorial skirmishes are the natural outgrowth of a growing peregrine falcon population.

If you (like I) are interested in following Mariah's progress (and that of any other falcon's that should begin to occupy the nesting boxes), both the Rochester FalconCam and their affiliated yahoo group, K Falcon Cam are great places to get the freshest news.

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Check It Out: The Garden (2008)

In a film season of remakes, reboots, prequels and sequels, who says that there are not compelling stories waiting to be told? Given both the previously posted about Dhamma Brothers and now this film gem, Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Feature The Garden, it looks like another strong season of compelling films... of course, if not in theaters, at least on DVD.

In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, hundreds of mostly Mexican-American families came together and turned a blighted corner of South Central Los Angeles into a 14 acre urban oasis—complete with guavas, papayas and enough fruit and vegetables to feed hundreds of families.

The Garden, a film by Scott Hamilton Kennedy, is the unflinching look at the struggle between urban farmers and the City of Los Angeles and a powerful developer who wants to evict them and build warehouses. The urban farmers consist primarily of immigrants from Latin American countries where they feared for their lives if they were to speak out. The film follows them as they organize, fight back, and demand a response to the question of, "Where is our 'Justice for all'?"

According to the film's Facebook page, "The Garden explores the fault lines in American Society. It is the story of the country’s largest urban farm, backroom politics, land developers, money, poverty and power. If everyone told you nothing more could be done, would you give up?"

I'm looking very forward to watching this film (likely on DVD--though our local arthouse theater is very good about showing a diverse collection of films) and possibly sharing it at school.

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!