Best-Laid Plans

September 12th was the day three years ago (2014) when a good friend passed away after what seemed to be a short illness (I say "what seemed to be" because I sometimes wonder if she knew more than she was telling). I had not been to the cemetery for quite a while and I decided that the anniversary date of her passing was a good time to remedy that and take some flowers to place on her marker. I had planned to go early in the day, but after doing the things that I needed to get done in the morning, I sort puttered around and did not make an early start and I didn't arrive there about 2:45 PM. There are no stand up headstones in the section where she is buried; rather all graves have flat markers. I always seem to have trouble finding her marker and this time was no exception. I walked out to the row where I thought it was and of course I was wrong. Walking back and forth to the left and to the right, I still could not find the marker. I decided to go back to the row where the markers began and start looking again. Before reaching the street and my car I heard a loud hissing noise and almost immediately was hit with a stream of water right in the face! For a moment I was stunned and didn't move. It was a hot day and the water actually felt good, but only for a moment when I realized I was about to be soaked. Large sections of the cemetery were being watered by large, oscillating sprinklers. Walking quickly I made it back to the road and my car where I stood for some time thinking that I would wait until the watering was done and I could resume my search. That assumption was wrong and after standing in the warm sun for a while, I got back in my car to wait it out. Fifteen minutes later the sprinklers were still going and I was getting a bit frustrated because I knew that traffic was starting to get heavy and it would take more time to get home. I was also disappointed not to be able to place those flowers on the headstone of a good friend. Instead I put the little bouquet at the edge of the grass. On the drive home I felt sad and a little bit bad for not coming sooner.  I also wondered why such a large section of the cemetery was being watered during the afternoon in the hours when people were visiting.

The best-laid plans...

Another Garden Guest

Friend or Foe?

In my previous post about BUGS I complained about the holes I was find in the newly emerged bean bushes, vowing not to plant any more seeds or seedlings if the current ones ended up full of holes or cut off at soil level. A few days after I posted that the plants had grown several more inches and there were no more holes in the leaves. In the next weeks blossoms formed and opened on the bushes, could beans be far behind? Soon that question was answered. Little beans of all colors started appearing. I have since been able to harvest enough beans for 3 meals and I think I can probably pick enough for one more meal. The little garden has a drip system of irrigation but there are sometimes some dry spots which I usually water with a hose to make sure it doesn't dry out. Yesterday when I was watering I noticed a movement in among the bean bushes, looking down I saw a slim snake curled up against the the boards of the raised garden bed. This snake didn't want to meet me or the water coming out of the hose and it somewhat frantically moved around, managing to slither up and over the edge of the border around the garden. It found a safe space under the bucket we use to make compost. Today we found either that same snake or another one (I wasn't able to get a good look at it) making it's way across the deck. From what I saw it looked somewhat smaller than the one I saw yesterday. I am fairly certain that the snake(s) were Garter snakes. They are generally slim and their average length is 22 inches. I did some research and found that Garter snakes can sometimes give birth to a large number of young. Information varies, but an average seems to be between 7-40! Garter snakes are carnivorous eating a diet of snails, slugs, crickets, garden pests. Now I think I may know where the insects eating my bean plants went! Another part of their diet can be earthworms. Our garden used to have a large number of earthworms and now that I think about it I have not seen many earthworms in our soil. Overall I suppose I should be "thankful" for the snakes as they probably consumed the bugs that first attacked my new seedlings. But I do have an aversion to coming "face to face" with a snake or stepping on one.

BUGS!

Who or What is munching my green beans?

About 2 weeks ago I planted green bean seeds all over a small raised garden bed. They emerged in 5-7 days and were putting out leaves and growing quickly in the warm sun. I went out daily to check on the progress of my plants and one day I noticed little holes on many of the seedlings. Several had been eaten back to just a little stem sticking out of the soil! I said "That's it, if the bugs eat all these plants, I'll never plant anything again!!" I inspected the leaves, but didn't spy any munching bugs or caterpillars (luckily for them) and I kept watering the seedlings hoping for the best. I checked Google and read that several types of insects attack green bean plants;

#1 Sap Suckers which are usually thrips, aphids, spider mites and whiteflies are all insects that leave little round holes in the leaves, however I didn't think these were the culprits as the plants didn't exhibit any other signs of this type of infestation, i.e., discoloration, distortions and premature leaf drop.

#2 Chewing Caterpillars such as larval stages of moths and butterflies, armyworms, leafminers and cutworms are chewing caterpillars that can also feed on green bean plants. I inspected the little plants and didn't see any sign of these critters and since the plants weren't chewed and defoliated I thought I could rule them out as well.

#3 Slimy Pests like snails and slugs can also cause small holes in the leaves. I could narrow it down to slugs since snails do not survive her, and I did not see the slimy silver trail across the leaves or soil that would indicate a slug.

#4 Munching Bugs which could be many beetles, weevils, lygus bugs (also known as the tarnished plant bug) and stinkbugs. The description of "munching bugs" makes me chuckle a bit as I picture a line of bugs marching through my garden. A Google search brings up much information on munching bugs and if you ask for images of munching bugs there are even pictures of people....you guessed it...munching bugs! ICK! Well, back to my bean plants. Since I could not really see any type of insect I just decided to let nature take it's course and in a few days my plants were up to 7 inches tall and the new growth seemed to be free of holes. Now I am back to trying to find 101 ways to cook and or eat green beans as I expect a bumper crop (provided it doesn't hail or rain so hard that it will destroy them, a real possibility as we are approaching Monsoon season).

Oh Snap! 31 Green Bean Recipes! - Southern Living

www.southernliving.com › Food › Entertaining

The key to this dish is developing a nice char on the green beans. To do so, heat the oil in your skillet until it almost smokes before adding the beans. Let them sear, stirring every 20 to 30 seconds, and they'll take on color. Feel free to sub thinly sliced strips of red bell pepper instead of hot chiles.

Seeds

Empty Garden...

In the last few years we have planted vegetables in a raised garden bed in the backyard. This year we were not motivated to do more than plant a couple of tomatoes. The idea of watering and weeding during the hot summer days just seemed like too much; but a few days ago while I was watering a couple of pots of herbs I looked at the bed just sitting there with nothing in it and decided that I would plant something. We had packets and packets of string beans of all sorts: green beans, wax beans and heirloom bean seeds in colors of green, yellow and purple (these disappointingly turn green when cooked) bought over the last couple of years, so into the ground they went! I like the idea of planting seeds because all they seem to need is warm soil and water to come to life. I pictured the seeds nestled in the warm and nourishing soil (how nourishing ours is I am not sure as it is not dark and loamy) drinking up the water I give them, turning into sprouts that would emerge in 10 days time (so the seed packet said). Summer was in full swing, the days are hot and with frequent watering the soil will act as an incubator so that the seeds will sprout very quickly. It was with a sense of anticipation that I go out each day to scour the soil for the first sign of a green sprout; at first folded over as it emerges from it's warm bed, finally breaking  through the soil to become a stem with two leaves unfolding at the top. It gives me a miraculous feeling when I think about seeds holding "a spark of life" in them even if they have been sitting in a seed packet for several years. The feeling is to me spiritual and wondrous.

Now we have a whole raised bed of almost nothing but small bean plants soaking up the sun and water, growing quickly. The packets state that the time from planting to harvesting is an average of 55 days. Since I planted somewhat late that will probably mean we should have beans by the end of August or second week of September. In the meantime I will watch them and marvel over the process that has produced those little green miracles. Now to find 101 ways to fix string beans!

                                             The Miracle of Seeds

"I've always been fascinated by seeds. The fact that plants can create little dormant pieces of themselves to broadcast out into the world to germinate is quite marvelous. Even more amazing, is how long some seeds can survive before given the chance to sprout. There have been discoveries of bean seeds uncovered in archaeological digs that are over a thousand years old, and they are still viable and able to germinate! While not all seeds have that ability to hold a spark of life for so many centuries, it's not uncommon for seeds that have been stored in a dry, cool place to maintain their viability for a decade." David Salman posted 01/10/14 in High Country Gardens

Channeling My Inner Van Gogh

                                                          COLORING PARTY

The Road Menders by Vincent Van Gogh

A few weeks ago some friends and I met at the house of one friend for a coloring party. Books containing pictures of all kinds have become popular and the number of books on various subjects can be overwhelming. There are books of flowers, sea creatures, gardens, books of pictures by famous painters and on and on. Whatever your interest you can probably find a book with pages to color. There are fancy colored pencils and markers that you can buy to color your pages with. The idea is that it is relaxing and stress reducing to spend time coloring in these pages. Although some are so intricate that I wonder how relaxing that can be!

There were 4 of us attending the party and we each had a different book. One friend did not have a book, so I brought along several that I had for her to chose something to color. We spent several hours coloring and then had dinner. Each person brought something to contribute to the "feast" so there was as much variety of foods as there was of pictures. Two party members finished their pictures and two of us only made progress. But it was relaxing and fun with lots of conversation flowing during the coloring and eating.

I chose a book of Vincent Van Gogh paintings and picked a picture of The Road Menders to color. I tried to stick pretty much to the colors that Van Gogh used (as much as my colored pencils would allow) in his painting. I think it would probably be fun also to chose a picture of something that allowed for wild and fanciful colors. We all had to admit that it was fun and relaxing to spend a few hours chatting while we colored away. I have to admit though that I have not picked up the pencils and pages again and don't really know why.

Where Has The Day Gone?

It is almost 3:00 P.M. and I am still in my pajamas. As I realize how quickly the day has slipped by I wonder, "just what have I done today? Do I have anything to show for the hours gone by?" Well, let's see--I got up at my normal hour, which for some is "late", gave the cat his insulin injection, made a cup of tea and some toast, loaded the dishwasher and started it. I then sat down to watch a little of the current "White House Drama" while I sipped my tea and ate my toast. After a while sitting in front of the television watching the minute by minute unfolding news, I decided to finish reading my current book and research some reviews written about it (Bleaker House: Chasing My Novel to the End of the World) most of them giving it good reviews except one). I had been attracted by it's cover when I saw it at the library and by the comments on the back stating that it "was so much fun to read", "Hilarious and original" a "romp of a book". Most of the online reviews mentioned humor. While I enjoyed the read I had to agree with one reviewer that it was rather dark at times. I recall some of the humor, but would not really call it "hilarious". In addition to finishing Bleaker House and looking for reviews I started two new books, checked my e-mail and played a few games of Solitaire (I won them both!).

Perhaps it is the weather (gray and cloudy), the cats have been sleeping all day, but then isn't that what cats mostly do anyway? Some how I don't think I can use that excuse, plain and simply it seems to be just a lack of motivation. Perhaps I don't feel that I have anything important or interesting to do? Perhaps I am just lazy?

THE SNOW QUEEN BALLET

                                                               SNOW QUEEN
 

Not long ago I commented to a friend that I wished we could find some activities to enjoy that did not involve going out to eat and that were relatively inexpensive. A few weeks ago she presented me with a few ideas. The first was a ballet performance of The Snow Queen a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Anderson. The ballet company was Danse Etolie Ballet which according to the program "is a non-profit organization founded by Marie-Jose Payannet in 2005, dedicated to offering artists of all ages a place to refine their talent and an opportunity to perform. Since its first performance in January 2005, Danse Etoile has produced original story ballets ranging from classical to contemporary and folk styles, offered countless free performances, and participated in outreach programs with local schools and community events in Boulder and Broomfield counties."  The Artistic Director, Marie-Jose Payannet grew up in France and was able to dance and train with many great dancers and ballet masters. Marie-Jose moved to the United States where she performed in many classical and character roles. In 2000 she moved to Colorado and eventually founded Danse Etoile. Danse Etoile stages several performances throughout the year and offers classes to dancers of all levels.

The venue where The Snow Queen was being performed was a 288 seat auditorium. There were performances on a Friday, Saturday and a Sunday matinee. Two friends and I attended the afternoon matinee. In this intimate setting where every seat was filled, we were joined by several groups of seniors from and Assisted Living facility and parents with little girls dressed in sparkly and fancy dresses. Despite the many small children i attendance all was quiet once the performance began. Everyone was enthralled with the dancers, costumes, scenery and music. 

 I am not an expert in anyway about techniques and the intricacies of ballet, so I can not offer any well founded or authoritative opinions on this performance, but I can say that I was fascinated. The dancers seem to take on the personality of the various characters they played. The costumes were  beautiful and instead of shuffling scenery on and off for each scene, there was a large screen behind the dancers that set the scene and offered a sort of magic to the ballet. 

I continue to be enchanted by this ballet and look forward to attending another event upcoming in June which presents The Firebird & Petrushka. I did some research and found that The Firebird is based on a Russian fairy tale of a magical glowing bird. The ballet was written by Igor Stravinsky for the Ballet Russes of Sergei Diaghilev a Russian art critic, patron, and ballet impresario. Petrushka as Stravinsky was completing The Firebird.  Petrushka according to Wikipedia, "tells the story of the loves and jealousies of three puppets.  The three are brought to life by the Charlatan during the 1830 Shrovetide (Pre-Lenten Season) Fair in St. Petersburg, Russia." Those puppets were Petrushka, The Ballerina and The Moor. Petrushka is in love with the Ballerina, but she rebuffs him in favor of the Moor. In response Petrushka challenges the Moor who slays Petrushka with his sabre. Then as night falls Petrushka's ghost rises over the puppet theatre and "he shakes his fist at the Charltan, then collapses in a second death."* 

I imagine beautiful, colorful costumes of the magical flowing bird in The Firebird and the emotion and drama of Petrushka and look forward to seeing this performance. It was much more enjoyable than just lunch! 

*From Wikipedia