signs, signs, everywhere are signs

First was the noticeably shortening days, baby anoles started hatching, then the pampas grass bloomed, the colorful tallow leaves falling one at a time, oxblood lilies, then the yew trees dropping their seeds, the acorns starting to fall, now the pecan tree leaves are drifting down along with the crepe myrtle leaves and the oak leaves, the sun shifting position on the horizons, my street in shade by 6 pm instead of 7:30.

Now if the temperature would only catch up. Saturday morning was very pleasant, maybe even bordering on a tad bit cool. Left the backdoor open while I went out first thing after feeding the cat, the dog, and meds, grabbed my shovel and dug out all the nut grass in preparation of adding the garden soil. I had thought to plant broccoli and cabbage there but after I dug out the nut grass I looked at the sky mentally tracing the winter path of the sun, looked at the the expanding banana trees behind the bed and wondered if this spot was going to get enough sun. So I dumped the bag of garden soil in the 4’ x 4’ raised bed in front of it instead and worked it in. By then any hint of coolness was gone, I was starting to sweat so I came in for coffee, email, blogs, and breakfast. I think I’ll plant the broccoli and cabbage in the 4’ x 4’ and carrots and mustard greens in the other. I still have another area to work the composted manure into for more broccoli and cauliflower and the kohlrabi seeds I bought. Saturday morning after I came in the plan was to add the second bag of super soil and plant the 4’ x 4’ raised bed early evening. At 6 pm, I looked out there and…nah. I’d rather fix a drink and sit down with my book. I did go out and get 6 more little broccoli plants earlier in the day.

Apropos of nothing, whoever owns that house on my east side has still not shown up to check it out four weeks after the tenants moved out. Thought you’d like to know that.

I did work on the shadow box a bit on Saturday. I painted a new water background because I couldn’t decide about the one that was blue and white. I did a second one with two blues which makes it darker in the back. Now I need to paint the heron head and put it all together and decide on which water background I want to use. I’m ready to get this one done.

Sunday was another coolish morning so I got out as soon as cat, dog, meds and spread more super soil and composted manure in one area or another and got my first six broccoli plants and eight cabbage plants (two of the cabbage plants had a second little plant that may or may not make it) in the 4’ x 4’ raised bed. The planting guide said 12” - 24” apart, 12” if you wanted small heads, which there are only two of us so ok, 12” apart it is. Now I’m visualizing grown plants and maybe that isn’t far enough apart. 

We’ll see. I have six more broccoli plants, different variety so I’ll plant them in a different spot further apart. I set up the sprinkler to water the little plants in and then it was time to go in for coffee and brunch. Checked the raised bed after 30 minutes. I hadn’t watered that raised bed once I pulled out the green beans and tomato plants from spring and that dirt was so dry it actually repelled water. Stuck my finger in the dirt to see how deep the water had gotten. Fair right under the sprinkler, only about an inch everywhere else so I let the sprinkler run for another 30 minutes and checked again and still dry about two inches down so had watered pretty thoroughly along all four sides. And now it’s all in the sun so maybe I’ll get the rest of the broccoli and some mustard greens seed in this evening which is one of those things that sounds doable in the morning but by 6 pm…see above. Actually, I did get the rest of the broccoli in early evening. 

This morning I went out to check on my little plants, stuck my finger down in the raised bed in various places and still bone dry! I wasn’t kidding about that dirt repelling water so I supercharged about a dozen spots with the sprayer on the hose. Then I planted two short rows of mustard greens seed in the bed behind it.

I did start on the heron head yesterday. Started with the eye as I figured that would be the most difficult so if I was going to have to try again I’d rather not wait until I’d done so much work on it. It’s ok, not as crisp as I would like. I’m trying to convince myself it’s fine, that no one, once the shadow box is put together and hanging on a wall, is going to zero in on the eye. Worked on it more today.

Photo at the top…the heat and drought tolerant plumbago is in full bloom. Yesterday while I was working out there pipevine swallowtails and black swallowtails were all over it. No picture because I didn’t have my camera but also because they were in constant motion.