lists

What $4 gets you at the library book fair

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Bioshelters, ocean arks, city farming : ecology as the basis of design; Nancy Jack Todd and John Todd

Audubon’s Birds of America; popular edition

The Classic of the Way and VirtueThe Classic of the Way and Virtue: A New Translation of the Tao-te Ching of Laozi as Interpreted by Wang Bi (Translations from the Asian Classics); Laozi 

Human AccomplishmentHuman Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950; Charles Murray 

 

The infinite destiny; words and blockprints by Gwen Frostic

A fair country : telling truths about Canada; John Ralston Saul.

Jeffrey Gitomer's little red book of sellingJeffrey Gitomer’s little red book of selling: the 12.5 principles of sales greatness : how to make sales forever; Jeffrey H. Gitomer 

 

The National Portrait GalleryThe National Portrait Gallery; Charles Saumarez Smith 

 

The New York Public Library science desk referenceThe New York Public Library science desk reference; Patricia L. Barnes-Svarney 

 

The New York Times guide to essential knowledge: a desk reference for the curious mind.

 

Outwitting SquirrelsOutwitting Squirrels: 101 Cunning Stratagems to Reduce Dramatically the Egregious Misappropriation of Seed from Your Birdfeeder by Squirrels; Jr., Bill Adler 

 

Rock Gardens (Firefly Gardener's Guide)Rock Gardens (Firefly Gardener’s Guide); Katharine Ferguson 

 

Rubber stamping for the first timeRubber stamping for the first time; Carol Scheffler 

 

Songs of a sun-lover: a book of light verse.; Robert W. Service 

Not this edition (instead imagine a beautiful faux-retro green cloth cover with orange parrot motif):

Treasure IslandTreasure Island; Robert Louis Stevenson 

 

Words into type.Words into type.; Marjorie E. Skillin 

Willow Farm Grasses revisited

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I dragged Eric out to a nursery that specializes in ornamental grasses last weekend. You can also wander around their property, several acres of meadow.  Last year I bought sweetgrass and prairie dropseed. I bought three more this time, which I’ll photograph after I plant:

  • Switchgrass – Panicum virgatum “Warrior”
  • Little bluestem – Schizachyrium scoparium “The Blues”
  • Tufted hairgrass – Deschampsia cespitosa

Veggies!

Karen 2 Comments

Sunday was warm enough to move my seedlings from porch to pots. They spent their first night outdoors in the rain and look happier than ever today.

Planted a week or so ago and now sprouting:

  • lots of sweet basil
  • mesclun lettuce mix
  • spinach.

Newly planted in the big pots:

  • peas
  • carrots
  • beets
  • radishes.

Newly planted in the smaller planters:

  • 2 dill
  • 3 parsley and 1 lemon basil with last year’s chives
  • 5 hot nosegay peppers
  • 6 eggplant
  • 7 scotia tomatoes
  • 10 sweet banana peppers.
Lettuces and spinach
Lettuces and spinach. And two homeless lemon basil I didn’t have pots for.
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Back off, squirrels.
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Now to arrange these. Hm.
Spares
The spares.

Help, I think I’m addicted

Karen 1 Comment

plant-saleIt felt like I was studying– frantically circling names on the plant list I’d photocopied from 100 Easy to Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens as Eric drove us to Harrison Park.

Yes, I got him to another plant sale this year and I was frank about why: I really needed a shopping assistant for this one. The Georgian Bay Garden Club’s annual sale is cheap and popular. Last year I didn’t have enough arms.

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Tea blend

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I grew over a dozen herbs around the yard this year. In late August I dried them in a dehydrator borrowed from mom. Quite a few of the plants were gifted from dad, who also supplied the teapot I’m storing them in.

My tea blend to help me overwinter includes:

  • anise
  • bergamot
  • chamomile
  • lavender
  • lemon balm
  • lemon basil
  • lemon thyme
  • lemongrass
  • two kinds of mint
  • and sage
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This garage sale teapot is now a container for my dried herbs.
teablend-2
Labelled and everything.
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10(ish) different herbs.
teablend-4
Smells nicer than it looks.
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And matching teacup! The colour is pale, but the taste is sweet and earthy.

A map of old-growth forests I want to visit

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Recently I’ve been fascinated by the book Ontario’s Old-Growth Forests: A Guidebook Complete with History, Ecology and Maps by Michael Henry and Peter Quinby. I think Eric is getting tired of my mini “lectures” about tree species every morning at breakfast (and every other chance I get). Anyway, here’s my list of some of the forests I want to visit, with any luck, starting this summer:


View Old Growth Forests in a larger map

A more complete map of all the forests covered in the book is available at:
http://www.oldgrowth.ca/

Frontyard glacier

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icicles

The 6 foot snowbank that impairs our vision when pulling out from the driveway is finally beginning to melt. It’s time to start planting seeds indoors!

Last month I bought:

  1. Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia)
  2. Catmint (Nepeta faassenii)
  3. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Today I placed an order for:

  1. Bergamot (Monarda didyma)
  2. Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
  3. Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
  4. Cleome (Cleome hassleriana)
  5. Little Bluestem (Schizachyrum scorparium)
  6. Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
  7. Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca)
  8. Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)

I hope “expedited” means my package will arrive by Friday.