Winter

Winter

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

A Stormy Day


This picture says it all today. As this storm comes ashore, the wind rushes to meet it so the wind is roaring in the trees sounding like the surf of the ocean. The wind chimes are not singing today but banging in a discordant clanking sound. The tumbleweeds are blowing across the field in front of the house like trolls stumping along to guard the bridge. I always think of that while I stand at the window and watch them rolling and bumping along. Praying the really giant ones don't jump the fence to come live in my yard.

We have a lone avocado tree in our yard.  This year it had one avocado. We watched it and with the freezing temps we were having we decided to pick it. It was still hard as a rock. The other day I checked it and it was perfectly ripe.


I am almost tempted to get bees just so we could have a whole tree with these lovely fruit.
I just wish they got ripe the same time as the tomatoes.


This is some of the picking of citrus. I picked blood oranges from a tree I haven't even started picking yet. The oranges are quite a bit bigger than the other tree. Today I am going to make some Starbucks pound cake. I decided that I will make that for Bible Study in the morning.  See my seed potatoes sitting in the back? I need to get them in the ground but we keep having storms and the ground it too wet.


I made some lemon syrup for my tea the other day. I am juicing and freezing juice to try and get the trees emptied. I am running out of ideas.

Some times my bright ideas don't turn out. I thought I would love to have fresh nettle tea. This time of year I have nettle growing every where. So I went out yesterday and picked this huge bunch of it.
I wore my gardening gloves when I was picking it. But, I being a hardhead. I thought I was stronger than nettle so I didn't go get gloves. I thought I could make myself believe that pain was just a state of mind. Duh, it isn't. My hands are still messed up. They looked last night like I had put them in boiling water. I got the nettle cut up and I put them in the food dryer. After the nettle dried I bagged it up. I tried to make tea with it but it was so yucky. I threw the whole bag in the trash. Next time I want nettle tea, I will buy it. Not to mention what a mess. I guess I am not Euell Gibbons.

I got my Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Catalog yesterday.
What a lovely catalog. I would love to order every single seed they have.

That picture on the cover, that flower is Buckweet. Isn't that pretty? I thought it was gorgeous.

I just wanted to stop by and say hi.

I wish you the best,
~Kim~

"His Father left in a desperate search for work. The food supply diminished until all that was left was a few pinto beans and a single egg, which no one would eat. Euell then a teen aged and one of four children, took a nap sack one morning and left for the Horizon mountains. He came back with puff ball mushrooms, pinion nuts, and fruit of yellow prickly pear. For nearly a month, the family lived wholly on what he provided." Anonymous, on Euell Gibbons.

12 comments:

Tanza Erlambang said...

beautiful sky...
I like avocado

Carol W. said...

Sorry you're weather has been so wet that you can't plant your potatoes yet. I've never tried a blood orange. The last time I. ate an avocado it gave me heartburn for 2 days; no more avocados for me. Sorry your nettle tea didn't work out. Those buckwheat flowers are so pretty! Thanks for sharing the Euell Gibbons excerpt. I should read his biography. Have a blessed week!

Kerin said...

Was that the same lone avocado that you showed us, when we were there? It sure got big!
Too bad about your hands being burned by the nettles...I'm so sorry!

Enjoy your study group, and I know that they will love your baking!
Are you making a gluten free lemon pound cake, now that you guys are gluten free?
Have a happy Valentines!

~K.

Susan Kane said...

God blessed Euell with wisdom and locations. What a brave and enterprising young man.

We love avocado! The avocado of the world is Fallbrook, about 20 miles from us. Mmmm.

I have a blood orange tree and have debated if they are ready to be picked. still hard.

Julia said...

Sorry about the bad experience with nettle. I never had nettle tea. I hope your hands will feel better tomorrow.
Wow, so many blood oranges and lemons.
Congratulations on the avocado. I love avocados.
I hope that the soil dries up enough to plant your potatoes.

We had about a foot of snow that fell today but the storm is now over. I planted 10 Geranium seeds today. I hope they will sprout. I enjoy seeing the little leaves popping out of the potting medium.
Take care, hugs, Julia

GretchenJoanna said...

If I understand correctly, you were wearing your gardening gloves, but you should have worn some other gloves, to pick the nettles? Are the gardening gloves made of cloth?

Debbie said...

our weather this winter has been all over the place but we have gotten very little snow. that makes me sad because i love snow!!

i have heard avocados are hard to grow?? but i have never tried. i tried my hand at potatoes, no luck there either!!

sorry about your hands, you will have to be more careful!!!

Rugs and Pugs said...

So sorry about you nettle experience. May your hands be better tomorrow.
Still so much citrus! A terrible problem to have.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Sue said...

I so relate to not having luck with some projects, Kim, I can't tell you how many of mine have gone in the trash.~smile~ We cut our potatoes yesterday, and will plant sometime between the 21-24 of this month. I would so love to have an avocado tree, and speaking of bees, I don't know what happened but our bees got gone last summer. I found out last week that a well known bee keeper in our area lost 75 hives. We are hoping to get a new hive soon, the bee keeper blamed it on the spraying of mosquitoes in our county.
Have a blessed week, I always enjoy seeing what you are doing, I feel we are kindred spirits. though you are more industrious than I am, not to mention so gifted with your hands.
Blessings,
Sue

Alica said...

Oh, how wonderful to have an avocado tree right in your yard! Bummer you only got one, though. Years ago, I remember our neighbor putting a rag on the end of a long stick, and pollinating his apple trees because there were hardly and bees! Believe it or not, it worked! Hope your storm is over now!

Pom Pom said...

Hi Kim! I love that about Euell Gibbons! I remember him from the Grape Nuts commercials.
Oh, the fruit looks so good! Yummy!
You're so funny with your nettle tea. I'm sorry it didn't turn out but I applaud you for your bravery.
Pound cake sounds lovely. I bought another bag of gluten free flour (thank you for that tip!)
Happy Valentine's Day, sweet heart friend!

TheCrankyCrow said...

Happy Valentine’s Day Kim!! I love your artistic description of the storm.... And oh how I love the sight of all that citrus! I can’t remember the last time I had a blood orange....I don’t think they sell them in our stores here....if they do, it certainly isn’t on a regular basis. Ick on the nettles.... I despise them so much I wouldn’t even have given nettle tea a try LOL.... Love that buckwheat as well...wonder if it will grow here....nevermind....odds are NOT! We may not have spring until July this year....23” last week, another 16” the day before yesterday...and guess what??? It’s snowing again as I type this.... :-(. Robin