Training Method Transfer

Hmmm... DH has picked up on my slug training methods. Now he is using them on me!

To train a slug, you simply change something enough to make their bad behavior less convenient or satisfying. For slugs who eat my seedlings, I surround the plant with ground coffee. So far, it has worked and the seedling has a chance to grow large enough to survive. I think the slugs will avoid the places with ground coffee (texture?) and stay in places without ground coffee. See these links to slug training post I and post II.

DH decided to clean out his desk drawers and bookshelf, but then went out of town before doing something with the treasures he found.   This makes it very inconvenient for me to use his desk!   Now, he will say it started with those fuses(?) I cleared out of the kitchen and left on his desk.  I agree his desk drawers are much cleaner now.

I will give him credit.  As an incentive for me to use this desk instead, he quickly set up a monitor and a key board before he left.  Usually, it is his desk looks like this.  We still have work to do on this alternative desk set-up, though.     I think I've been trained. 

"Border" Gardens

From our outing on Thursday, here is the northwest corner of Point Roberts, Washington, at Monument Park.  This is the start (or the end) of the "world's longest unguarded border," but it's not ungardened.   The house on the left is north of the border, in Canada.  I'm standing the US (I think). 

Along much of the US-Canada border, it is a ditch or a clearing that separates the two countries.  The fences on the left belong to Canadian houses.  The road on the right is in the US. 

To northern gardeners - a maintained ditch and a road mean a break in the trees.  A place for a garden on the south side of their fences!  

Most houses along the ditch made use of this southernmost edge of Canada.  We saw lots of gardens, some chairs, composters and a trampoline.  Some people without fences kept everything neat all the way to the road.    

I liked the garden houses (sheds) in some gardens along the ditch.  It reminded me of the train-side view of allotment gardens I've seen in the UK. 

There is supposed to be a geocache on the US side, but we felt odd parking on the road and wandering around in the hedgerow so close to the border.   Next:  The southeast corner of Point Roberts and tree tops.

Bean Structure Returns

 

The bean climbing structure is in place for one more year.  It blew over in a storm two years ago and I thought that finished it off.   We put it in place (without checking it too carefully) and expect it can make it one more year.    (It is made from two moveable fence panels the previous owners left here.) 

See photos in this link with the beans in place.  I've gone back to that placement, with it set in two beds and the pathway underneath.  Either way, it is difficult to reach the top of the structure, but it is just more fun with the pathway underneath.  See this link for it placed in one bed with the pathways on each side.  

The peas I started in the garage have sprouted.  They will go in the space between the bean structure and the chives (minus one chive clump).   This week I'll watch for a break in the rain to plant the peas and some assorted seeds.

The furthest row is full of lamb's ear (fuzzy), lemon balm and chamomile (bright green).  Hardly a weed can squeeze in so I'll leave it as is.  The flowers please the bees.  Borage is sprouting everywhere and I found two starts of anise hyssop by the bean structure.

No Petunia sightings yet.     She has lived in this lamb's ear bed in the past.  Now, it is so full she could have moved in and I wouldn't know it.

Point Roberts WA

Point Roberts, Washington - it takes two border crossings to get there, and two more to get home, but worth the trip (partly because we had never been there before).   It is about 5 square miles of land, with water on three sides and Canada on the north side.  See this link for a view of it all and how it came about.

We were already in Sumas, WA (and lots of farming and gardening to admire there).  This was our chance to cross the border at Sumas and drive west through Canada to Point Roberts. 

DH - inspecting a likely geocache hiding spot at Lighthouse Marine Park.

There is a small community, a marina and usually a lot of Canadians.  On this Thursday afternoon, there weren't many others around.

Here is a cache DH found at a different spot in the park.   DH will move the travel bug (the lady bug, in this case) to a different cache.  The owner can follow it around the world.

More later from other corners of Point Roberts.

Puyallup Demonstration Garden

This is what I want to see at my house... a pumpkin patch all ready to go.  That's a polka-dot composter pig in the corner.  These photos are from our accidental visit to the Puyallup Master Gardener Demonstration Garden.
  

(DH surprised me today by mowing the tall grass around our pumpkin patch. Now it is up to me to reach the soil level.)

Here are two different designs for hoop cloches.  The design, above, has a wooden frame that keeps the hoops in place.  The design, below, has short hoops that are attached to the wooden bed frame, without a ridge support.   I move my cloche to different places in the garden so it is more free-standing than these designs.

Above, the people are walking through the Jack and the Beanstalk children's garden.  The other beds are just getting started for the year.

And a perennial / wildlife garden, above. 

The garden has classes and children's activities throughout the summer.  Here is the link to the schedule.

DH: Happy Birthday!

DH:  Listen to your Mom (above)!  But remember how much fun we had on those slippery slopes in Germany?   

He took a nice a running start at his slope on Saturday with a few friends, dinner, Costa Rica-inspired beverages, cheesecake, iphone app instructions, a special t-shirt that will show up in travel photos and an age-appropriate geocaching travel bug.  

Thanks to the friends and chocolate, I now have the start to the collection of photos that will come out for his 80th birthday party....  

He bought his own Glenmorangie. (Or is that for me?)

Grab the sled - No doubt we'll enjoy the ride.

Northwest Moon

The super moon with NW trees and clouds (a few weeks ago).

I will appreciate another dose of blue sky and sunshine tomorrow.

Garden Math

Neighbor asked if I had a place for some of her tomato seedlings from her amazing greenhouse. Yes, I have space for two.  The types she has are Legend and Golden Nugget. 

I like garden math:
2 plants 'taken' by e-mail = 11 plants in person.  Usually, we stop here.
This time, I can return with tadpoles and little frogs.

Can you see the shadow of Emily, the garden inspector?  See her garden story here and picture here.

Thanks, neighbor! 

Our Kitchen Time Capsule

Just some of the items found on a convenient kitchen shelf that is supposed to hold only our address book.

2004 We moved into this house
2004 Starbucks Card I was given for a project (I used it today)
2004 Sunflower seeds from Kansas
2005 Seeds from our first, & largest, pumpkin
2006+ Geocaching treasures
2007 Coins from Japan
2008 Ferry schedule
2009 Wisteria pods from Arizona
2010 Pet license tags (the cats refuse to wear them)
2011 Shells, rocks & chestnut from a trip
2012 Iron drops from a foundry
And other assorted seeds, parts and mystery things

What will I find in the junk drawer?

To Be for 180 Days

What would you do with 180 days outside of your usual routine?  Maybe some of your usual routine, but without a lot of it, too?   Link to Sleepy Bee.

I'm off from work this summer.  The garden calls.  And so does the list of previously neglected to-do's beyond the garden.  My recycle basket was filled several times today.  Link to busy bee with pollen baskets (yellow spot on his leg).

...there are some flights scheduled.  Link to hummingbird and beans.

And this is just a reminder to pay attention!  Link to danger bee.