Dusk At Fort Fisher

2011-11-19T14:37:00.001-08:00

It's late summer here in North Carolina. The Leland Cypress I planted last year is doing well, having gained an additional two feet of height and width since I planted it.Every spring I plant morning glories from seeds I harvested the previous fall and soon I will be collecting the pod-like seeds which, not long ago, were beautiful, velvety purple morning glory blooms. I have discovered that morning glories are very interactive with the weather. In summer, when it is hot, sometimes up to 98 degrees, the flowers will open themselves in early morning. Then, as the sun comes around and even if they are in the shade, they will close up. If the evening is cooler, they may open again, briefly, but will, for the most part during the summer, stay closed until the following morning. They revel in rainy, cloudy summer days and will stay open much longer, glowing purple stars on a gray day.Making sure they are quite dry and dormant, I put the seed pods in a glass jar. There they will stay, in a dark corner in my pantry, until spring, when I will plant them again. It is very rewarding to have this morning glory renaissance every year. Most seeds are hybrid and harvesting the seeds may or may not guarantee future growth. My original morning glories came from a seed packet I purchased at Home Depot. They have been a good investment so far, as each summer, they produce beautiful vines and blooms.

Garden - Summer of 2009

2009-06-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here's the beginning. I just planted the garden.

I put Marigolds in to discourage the bugs--also, cedar mulch.

Things started to grow. The tomatoes were doing well, the squash was getting larger and larger and the eggplant had flowers.

I had a set back with the tomatoes. A friend told me to spray the tomato plants with soapsuds to kill aphids. I tried it and nearly burnt up my tomato plants and peppers. Won't try that again!

They are reviving, but it was a definite setback! I finally got bug spray for the Mustard Greens, which were being skeletonized by flea beetles. The spray worked and slowly, the greens are coming along.

I picked my first zucchini and yellow squash today. I've gotten three fine Icheban eggplants, and I made a lasagna!

To find out what I do with the produce from my vegetable garden click here.

2009-02-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

Wonderful eggplants! I sliced them up, salted the slices and put them in a bowl for ten minutes, just to make them sweat a little and release any bitterness. Then I rinsed them, drained them and patted the slices between two towels. I sliced up a small yellow onion, sauteed it in two tablespoons of olive oil, and when they were transparent, I added my gorgeous eggplant! Then I sprinkled some garlic powder and some salt and I let the mixture cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
At the end, this eggplant/onion mixture was great on top of my pasta!

2009-02-14T18:43:00.000-08:00

The garden yielded some great sweet potatoes and eggplants. The tomatoes I planted were a disaster, but the ones that came up from the compost pile actually yielded some good tomatoes. Forget the squash that I planted in the corner of the lot.

2009-02-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

I weeded for three hours in the hot morning sun.....

2008-08-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

OK, so things still look a little chaotic. But I managed to clear out the weeds under the straight neck squash. I sprayed the white beetles and then, wearing my garden gloves, just proceeded to squash everyone I could find.

I chased two grasshoppers out of the tomatoes (they'll be back) and, weeding the cantaloupe, I found two large overripe ones and another that was ripening but has holes in it from worms boring in. I found eight pale tomatoes underneath the renegade vines and several that had ripened and were rotting.

I have been wrapping new squash in plastic bags to keep the beetles away. This works well and allows the squash to grow large and firm. I've lost five squashes to bugs.

This is what I have learned. Neglecting a garden wastes the time I took to plant seeds and sets in the first place. It also wasted some nice cantaloupe and tomatoes which I missed because I couldn't see them for the weeds!

Oh, Oh, What's happening!

2008-08-11T14:00:00.001-07:00

I was gone for a couple days and look what happened.

Pretty soon I can't see where the straight-neck squash leaves off and the cantaloupe begins. Little hard-shell beetles are poking holes in the tomatoes and suck out the juice. The zucchini I planted looked beautiful one day, the next, all was wilted and dying. It was an attack of stem borers,I just found out from a gardening program on our local NPR station.

The grasshoppers are consuming the beans and the tomato leaves. I out there with a spray soap insecticide that is supposed to be safe for organic gardens. Now, I'm noticing some oval-shaped white beetle in the straight neck squash.

And the weeds are taking over everything. I've got to do something.......

Things start to grow.....

2008-08-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

The few rainstorms that we had did wonders to get things growing. Beans, eggplant, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and the tomatoes and cantaloupe that planted themselves from the compost.

Then.......

Summer.....

2008-07-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

Summertime and the livin' is hot!
I planted bush beans and less than half came up. Forget the Swiss chard. Ninety degrees everyday and not one sprouted.

Yesterday I bought egg plants, collards and sweet potato plants at the Home Depot, where I work part time in Electrical and Lighting.

It is very dry and only hand watering is allowed.
I love growing things. The soil here is very sandy--after all this is the North Carolina coast and the ocean is not far away. I augment the sandy soil with a fine mulch and compost, then I mulch everything very well. Nevertheless, this is not the leafy green and abundant garden I had last year in July. The tomatoes are doing well, and as a tribute to composting, it is evident that the squash and tomatoes coming up from my very casual compost pile are doing much better than anything in the garden!

Charley stretches out under the ceiling fan for a nap. Note accompanying toys....
Keep cool!

Here's a nice summer soup recipe I created yesterday.

two tomatoes, stem section removed, cut up
two carrots, peeled, cut into small pieces
two stalks of celery, cut into small pieces
2 cups of good organic low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small pieces

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth
Transfer to sauce pan and simmer at low heat for 20-30 minutes
Cool and chill in the fridge.
Serve with a dollop of plain, low fat yogurt on top and a fresh basil leaf.

Lastly, my website lessons in Oil Painting, Acrylic Painting, Drawing, Collage, Pastel and the Artist Within-Discovering Your Artistic Self are finally completed!

Give a look-- try a class--all for free!

Click here for my website. I will welcome the opportunity to be your "art coach!

River and Rushes

2008-03-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

An oil painting I did last November of the Cape Fear river shoreline.

My Standard Poodle, Charley

2008-03-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, he's young and vivacious, but when I'm away at work, he just waits until I come home. Soon, we will start dog obedience classes and that will be fun. He's a bright boy and should do well!

Charley's Blog,check it out!

My Lighting Consultant Life

2008-03-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

We all seem to be highly diversified these days. Me, too. I am an artist, lighting consultant, gardener, cookbook author and now, I'm creating a website of my free online art classes. I like the idea that everyone in the world could partake of my thirty years of art instruction and do it for free!

Here's my lighting blog with interesting articles on lighting options and updated information.
My Lighting Blog

Fort Fisher Oaks - December 2007

2008-03-06T17:43:00.000-08:00

Revetment--Fort Fisher, January 2008

2008-03-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Sunny Dunes--Fort Fisher, November, 2007

2008-03-05T19:30:00.000-08:00