And hilarity ensues

Creepy Crawlies

lizard hollow indeed, originally uploaded by gardenpunk.

Last night for the first time since we've lived here (3 years this week, woohoo!) I heard a cricket on our property. I identified that it was behind one of our raised beds. Ahh, the sound of crickets.

It dawned on me last night that the reason we've never had crickets before is because of the large lizard population on our property. Makes sense. But a few months ago we got new neighbors with two outdoor cats, and not surprisingly, the lizard population has declined.

Maybe the crickets numbers are on the increase because the lizard numbers are on the decrease.

Sad it has to be that way. I enjoy them both.

Who wouldn't want a view like this?

Even more impressive in person.


Closeup:


Also playing:


Happy Sunday!

Yields

Yield - the act of yielding or producing. What Katie's garden is not doing in 2009.

Although the raised bed garden is much more lush than just last month

August


July


Pretty, yes. Productive, not so much. Unless you count the okra. But even then we never have enough to can all at the same time. The area with the chard has since been pulled out and winter garden planted...and then dug up by maurading raccoons. We'll see if/where stuff comes up and move it accordingly.

My tomatoes suck this year. But damn, they still are delicious.

PS - Potatoes are weeds. We planted a crop 2 years ago, and they still come up and produce tiny little potatoes. Consider yourself warned if you don't pull them all up!



We grow 3 colors of Agapanthus here - white, lavender, and this: electric blue. This shot is straight out of the camera with no editing. The color is as captured!



I WILL be dividing this one come fall. Along with the others. I will make certain to dispurse this one throughout the landscape. So pretty.

Rocks

Soundtrack for this post:
“No Woman, No Cry” by The Fugees
Reflective, encouraging tune

Let’s say you have a jar that represents the finite time in your life and you have two sets of rocks in which you can choose to fill the jar. The large rocks represent the important things in your life: your family, hobbies, friends, relationships, taking care of yourself etc. The small rocks represent those things which take up time but aren’t important. If you begin to fill the jar with the small rocks, there will be no room left at the end for the large rocks. By putting the large rocks in the jar first, you make sure you’re making time for what’s important in your life.



I’m figuring out my big rocks. Alternately: My quarterlife crisis came due a couple years late.

I’m encouraged by those of you who are supportive and incredibly kind in your comments and words. Thank you. There are those that seek to knock you down and kick you while you’re pouring your heart and soul into something that makes you vulnerable. (I could never be a celebrity.)

With that, I will admit that I’ve danced with depression in the past and hear the music starting again. Depression amplifies the feelings of good and bad and warps the way you see things. I’m not trying to be emo. Please know I’m not in any danger of going bat shit crazy or hurting myself or anyone else. I just feel robbed of my life energy and creativity. I do know one thing: I am not alone with this.

How do you deal with the blues?

I crave community, not anonymity. Step into the sunshine. It’s wonderful in the light.

A matter of perspective

Someone told me recently that if you purposely drive slower than the rest of the traffic on the freeway, that you'll end up creating long expanses of space in which you're the only car on the road. I tried this little experiment today on my way back from Sacramento, and wow. It's crazy. All these people zip around you speed by you, and then - quiet. You're by yourself. It was totally cool and something that I plan on doing more often when I'm on the freeway.

Photographic proof


















This afternoon I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Tammy and Logan of RowdyKittens.com. We chatted and compared notes, and it was so amazing to get their perspective on things. Tammy and Logan promote simple living in a positive and refreshing way and hope to one day live in a tiny home. I truly admire them and learned so much this afternoon, such as:

• Donating books to the library - if you want to read it again, your book is always there, plus others get to experience the book as well (this was a duh! moment for me)
  
• Why people put fenders on bikes
• How to share ideas with others using blogging as a platform (or, Katie is tired and worn out and can't think of anything to blog about. How do you come up with such great and consistent posts/ideas?)

This proves once again that keeping your Twitter network manageable is so important for small-time folks like me: I want to make sure I don't miss tweets from people who I care about and are important to me. I started following Tammy (@rowdykittens) a while back and must admit her blog is one of my top five favorites. Her weekly roundup of links is something I look forward to and squeal with delight when I see it in my Google Reader! I am so glad that I continue to meet such awesome people in person after "meeting" them online. I continue to be impressed.

Thanks to Tammy and Logan for the tour of their current tiny home and introduction to the real Rowdy Kittens! Even though they weren't all that rowdy when I saw them... Look forward to seeing you guys again soon.

Giggles

Ohai. You know it's funny! (Story here)

Pork Stuffed Peppers

This year was the first year we've actually gotten a decent harvest of bell peppers (some sort of red pepper, due to a labeling problem we don't know which variety), and made a great stuffed pepper recipe using them. This also gave us a way to use some of the pork we have in the freezer, you could use any ground meat that you have on hand. I originally found a version of this recipe here, my modifications are in blue below.

• However many red peppers you need (ours were fairly small) cored and seeded
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 tablespoons raw sunflower kernels
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• Smoked Spanish Paprika
• Chili Powder
• Chipotle Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Black Pepper
• 15-20 Cherry Tomatoes

1. Add pork to pan and lightly brown. (Our pork didn't need any additional fat added to stop sticking) After lightly browning, add onion, carrot, and celery. Saute until vegetable are soft.
2. Add spices (Smoked Paprika, Chili Powder, Chipotle Powder to taste. Add 5-6 of the cherry tomatoes, halved. Continue to cook 2-3 minutes.
3. Add Brown rice to pan, allow to cook on low for 1-2 minutes.
4. Transfer to mixing bowl, stir in yogurt and sunflower kernels
5. Stuff peppers with mixture
6. Place peppers in baking deep baking dish. Add remaining cherry tomatoes to the dish around peppers.
7. Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes, or until peppers are cooked to your liking.

This recipe turned out to be quite tasty. I am constantly amazed at how much I enjoy using yogurt as a binder for casseroles and stuffings. The tangy flavor it adds is just great.

Happy Friday

After a long week, I thought I'd share a fun picture from yesterday at my in-law's house:

















It's my Troy Bilt, I ♥ Dirt shirt with a Western Redbud (cercis occidentalis) leaf over the heart.

Ignore the goofy smile and boob shot, if you will.

Please, join the conversation

Are you still there after yesterday's diatribe? Good. Let's get started.

Hi folks. My name is Katie Hobson, and I'm trying to live an authentic life. Please, join me for the ride.



Because I try to live authentically, I say what I mean and do what I say. I can't quite understand the concept of how anonymity on the internet allows people to say things they might not otherwise say.

If you have something to add I encourage you to join the conversation in a constructive and positive way. With so much negativity in the world, let's create a positive and nurturing place for each other, shall we?

If I subscribe to your blog but consistently blaze through it in my Google Reader without reading it, I'm not doing anyone any favors by subscribing. And if you do the same thing to my posts, by all means UNSUBSCRIBE.

If you don't love it, it doesn't belong in your life.

Thanks to those of you who have sent positive comments. You rock my world.

I'm hoping that with my life refreshed, good solid posts like in days of yore will begin to appear.

Rawr

I'm still trying to get my bearings. I feel strangely overwhelmed in that I feel so dreadfully obligated.

I subscribe to wayyy too many blogs.
Follow wayy too many people on Twitter.
Say yes to too many things. (But I always say yes please.)

The other day I decided to edit my life. Simplify. I like to think that I don't have that much material stuff (although folks who've seen my messy garage might disagree), so I'm not overwhelmed with stuff.

I'm overwhelmed with saying yes.

See, the benefit to social media is how it connects and links you with the most amazing people like what I experienced the other night. The dreadful side of it is that there are so many good people out there you'll end up killing yourself just trying to follow them all, or in my case, simply keep up.

You know that A&E show Obsessed? (I didn't either until we got cable again 2 weeks ago after going without for the last 2 years. OMG magic. It's like Intervention's little brother.) The one I saw last night was a dude's home that was just full of stuff and his therapist worked with him to be ok with throwing things away. People, this is how I feel about your blogs and tweets. I can't bear to part with them, so I just keep adding more and more and more! Don't even get me started about the necessary evil that is Facebook...

Recently I unsubscribed from a few feeds on a whim. Then unfollowed a couple twitterers (they won't miss 1 follower of 2,600, will they?). I felt ok. The world didn't end. I did some more unfollowing/unsubscribing. I felt even better. I said no to my coworkers about something. I declined something I had originally said yes to. That sucked. It didn't feel good but the world didn't crash in around me. I can't be a doormat and please everyone all the time.

Point is that I'm losing myself. Saying yes to too many things and people. In theory it's not a bad thing, but I need time for myself. I feel like I'm sitting at my desk on Fridays counting down to the 5pm whistle only to snap my fingers and feel like I never went home, it's now Monday, and hey how did I get into these Monday clothes? (You don't have Monday clothes?) Wasn't it just Friday? How did I spend my weekend and where did it go?

So if I stop following you or your blog, please know it's nothing personal. I just need my time back.

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
-Carl Sandburg

Moments

I had a moment tonight that I thought I'd share.

I was living social media.

Yes, LIVING it.

I was dancing around in my living room to music while taking pictures of my dog while a cake baked in the oven.



Nothing special you say? Well what if I told you:

The music I was listening to came from the Cheap Easy Show by Michael Nolan, a friend I've come to know on Twitter. Hot damn that was a lot of fun! I'm going to download previous podcasts to my iPod for when boredom strikes at work.

I was taking pictures with my new external flash because my blog friend Andy of Yellow Wood Photography sent me an email a little over a year ago asking why I wasn't selling my pictures. And now he's put in motion my quest to become a photographer, which is why I broke down and finally bought an external flash. Woo baby. I can't believe I didn't own one until today!

And the cake? The cake is from a Robin at Bumblebeeblog.com - Buttermilk Chocolate Chip cake (aka Yum Yum Cake). I read the recipe last October and was reminded of it yesterday. (I got the chance to meet Robin at Spring Fling in Chicago in May and she's just as lovely in person as she is online.)

A confluence of social media right there in my living room and kitchen.

And yes, I did have the cake for dinner.

These are the moments, folks.

Whiskey Peach Cobbler

For all of the folks on Twitter who have asked, here is the recipe.

*Whiskey Peach Cobbler*

Filling
3 peaches/nectarines, cut into cubes/bite sized pieces
2 tbs. flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbs. whiskey
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping
1 cup flour
1/2 sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all of the filling ingredients together until combined. Bake in 2 quart pyrex dish (or similar) at 350^o for 10 minutes.

While filling is baking, use a food processor to mix all of the topping ingredients until coarse and butter is completely cut in. Take filling out of oven and drop rounded biscuits onto warm filling and put back in oven to bake at 350^o for another 25-30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.

I must say, this whiskey makes this dish inspired. It was so good that I ate the leftovers for lunch today, so no picture of my handiwork.

Planning your winter garden

August 1st marks the halfway point of the garden between the last and first frost dates at my location, and also marks the beginning of the winter growing season!

It wasn't until I read The Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman that I even realized a winter garden is possible. That dude lives in Vermont. I live in Northern California. It should be illegal for me to NOT grow a winter garden.

One of the tools I've been using over the last few months is GrowVeg.com's Garden Planning Tool. I'm not usually one to pay for things, and at $25 per year (or $40 for two years), I was a little put off on the tool because of the price. I used it during a free 30 day trial and was then contacted by GrowVeg to review it, and they kindly gave me a free year (score!). The proof is in the pudding - I will be renewing my subscription when it comes up next year - I really like this tool.

Click for a quick video of the tool in action













This picture/video represents my raised beds garden, which is the most intensively gardened area on my property. Because of this, it is important to practice crop rotation. One of my favorite features of GrowVeg's tool is when I click on a plant that I want to put on the graph, it will show me where I planted something in that same family depending on how many years are to have elapsed before planting it again. The video shows me selecting beets, and where something in the same family was planted the season previous. It also shows me deleting a tomato, indicating how easy it is to maneuver within the program. The learning curve is nothin'.

Cool, huh?

I find myself coming back to this tool with each planting season, and recommend you check out their 30 day free trial if you're interested. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with how helpful it is!