Stuff and then More Books! # 23 -

Jeez, has it been long enough since I posted? All is well with the baby and everything else.

I went to the in-laws reunion and the horrid email writer was there, but he just pretended that nothing had happened and I just avoided him as much as possible. Since there were about 30 adults and 20 kids, it was easy to do without people wondering why I was snubbing him. I learned from another relative that he often writes really horrible, inappropriate emails. Somehow that made me feel better, even as it reveals him as an even bigger asshole.

My garden is giving up all kinds of good stuff now: basil, cilantro, dill, watermelons, corn, peas, tomatoes (finally!), hot peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, and spinach. And gourds. I am still waiting on potatoes and muskmelons and also for that glorious day when I can eat tomatoes until I'm sick of them. [Yeah, I think either tomato or potato doesn't have an "e" when pluralized, but I don't know which one. Just like G.W., I know.]. I have only been getting a few teeny tomatoes each day, which just whets the appetite without sating it.

I'm working on the baby's room and will share some photos later or tomorrow or sometime. It's so fun to imagine having a little girl living in that room! What's she going to be like? What will she look like? What will she like? Will she have one of those super-high-pitched little girl voices?? Oh man, I used to babysit a little girl whose voice was unbelievably high! It made me laugh every time she talked.

Okay, some books I've been reading:

#23: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. The third in the trilogy. Tight writing, good plot development, very satisfying. I really want to talk about a problem I had with it, but it would spoil the book for you, and I'd rather you read it.

#24: Another Thing to Fall by Laura Lippman. A Baltimore-based mystery novel with a female P.I. as the star. It was okay. I have enjoyed other Lippman books much more. I think What the Dead Know was excellent. This was just okay.

#25: Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore. A short novel about two young women. Pretty good. I loved her short story collection, Birds of America, more, but this is pretty good. Here are a couple great excerpts:

"I sang 'Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?' in a solo, in front of everyone, at Sunday service. At the end no one clapped, but you didn't at a church service. That was one of the things that was too bad about church."

and

"At vespers I actually prayed hard to God and on several occasions believed I felt the Holy Spirit enter me then silently cry out and flee."

#26: Faithful Place by Tana French. Another Ireland-based mystery novel from French. I really like her style. It's another story about a flawed detective who is drawn back to his home town to face up to events from earlier in his life. I'm not tired of that yet. There's a lot of the literary in her mysteries, so they're not just genre novels. Really good writing.

#27: The Burning Wire by Jeffrey Deaver. Another one starring Lincoln Rhyme, the paralyzed ex-crime scene detective, and his girlfriend/protege, Amelia Sachs. In this one, a killer with an expert knowledge of how to use and abuse electricity uses it to terrorize New York City. It might make you afraid of the outlets in your own house, if you're easily spooked. As usual, a good read.

#28: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. Another Sookie Stackhouse novel. These are total fluff, so don't expect too much. Fun to read, but I've already forgotten most of what happened.

#29: Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child. Near the Arctic Circle, some ancient preserved creature is found. Is it the greatest scientific discovery of our time, or a monster that must not be awoken? Fast-moving, lots of characters, capable writing.

#30: Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler. I have liked Anne Tyler since I was a kid. Her novels are well-written easy reads, with quirky characters in odd situations. In this one, a 61-year old man is attacked in his home and becomes obsessed with remembering what happened. Forced into early retirement, he has plenty of time on his hands. His daughters, sister, ex-wife, and a surprising love interest harass him throughout the book.

I'm going to try to write more often! Maybe I can re-establish the habit of posting almost every day.

One More Post About Hail

Here's a nice action shot




Our yard after the first round of hail. During the actual storms, it looked like popcorn popping all over outside.




They weren't quite golf ball size, but maybe ping pong balls




It looked pretty cool on the driveway



After the first hailstorm, Jason and I drove around the neighborhoods a few blocks away from ours. There were broken windshields everywhere. But even MORE ubiquitous were the insurance agents who flooded the neighborhood! They strode purposefully up and down driveways and sidewalks, proudly clutching their binders and clipboards, and looking around intently.

Then it started to hail again, so we hurried home to the safety of our garage, from which we watched the littler hail fall and fall. The noise! The freakishness of it all! We were so lucky that we didn't have any damage besides the poor, poor garden.

Tomato Before and After

Oh, so strong and healthy! They smelled like summer.



After the hail, I couldn't even find some of the plants. They were obliterated!

My Poor Garden

First all we had was a big plot of rock-covered ground. We had to shovel and throw and kick rock after rock out of the way. Then, the annoying weed cloth underneath dulled our knives and was very stubborn about wanting to stay in place.



Jason bought wood and cut it and nailed it to the ground with rebar or something, and we dug the whole thing with shovels and added 30 bags of compost and manure and garden soil. The soil still looked a lot like sand.



But I happily planted my 10 tomato plants and a dozen peppers (I want to make salsa this summer or fall!) and tomatillos, potatoes, strawberries, plus herbs, cucumbers, melons, corn, peas, lettuce, carrots, spinach, garlic, and onions.

And then the wind blew like it would never stop and my tomatoes and peppers were beaten into the ground, but they still might have made a comeback!

And then we were pelted with rain and small hail and then medium-sized hail and then rain and rain and wind and then a whole bunch more small hail. Only one tomato survives, and it looks incredibly sad, like I do. Wahh! I want a nice garden!!



Now I'll have to buy more tomato transplants and probably settle for Big Boy or Better Boy or whatever they sell everywhere. And I'll see if I have to reseed everything. Who knows where
any of the seeds ended up.

Books 7 & 8: People With Dirty Hands & From the Ground Up

I've read a few hundred pages of War and Peace, but I've been so distracted with The House that I'm having trouble spending time with it. So, I quickly re-read a couple of my favorite books about gardening.

People with Dirty Hands, by Robin Chotzinoff, is actually about gardeners rather than gardening. Chotzinoff writes little portraits of various gardeners she meets (and some people who are not necessarily gardeners, but who are involved with plants). There is a tomatophile, chili growers and roasters, rose lovers, urban gardeners, and a Louisiana witch doctor, among others.

It's fun and funny and kind of implies that that gardeners are supposed to be a little kookie.

From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden is by Amy Stewart. She tells of learning how to garden while living in Santa Cruz, California. Her climate is quite a bit different from mine, but some of her lessons definitely transfer to my yard: test the soil and amend it before you start planting, arrange plants so they receive the proper amount of light, and make peace with a garden that looks imperfect.

Stewart also provides a few recipes and specific pruning tips.

Both books also give some resources for ordering seeds and plants (though People is 14 years old).

I've been doing lots of looking at seed catalogs and plant websites and imagining my soon-to-be garden. I'm also trying to amass local info on when to plant different things, and what should be started inside first, and how much to water, and and...

My paint colors have been chosen for weeks, and I know what I want in my garden. Now all I need are the keys!
.