I swear that Bowser is some kind of closet doggy gardener because whenever I am working in my yard, he won’t leave me alone. He has the full roam of the property including my landlords’ much bigger yard but decides he must be in my business whenever he sees me with tools in hand.
My son-in-law suggested I use string in order to line up the new beds with the existing, for symmetry. This is how that went.
We hope you are having a productive weekend, with lots of peace too.
Rock on,
The WB
Believe it or not I am still eating vegetables I grew last summer, from my little garden. Even as I am planning to start seeds for this year’s eventual harvest, I have a few delicious squash remaining in my unheated entry way. They are waiting their turn to be transformed into something yummy, as in today’s recipe: Curried Lentil Stew with Butternut, Kale and Coconut.
Although it doesn’t look like much on the plate, the flavour is amazing. The recipe doesn’t refer to it as such but I believe it is a dal-type dish…a delicious Indian lentil “gravy” that is indeed cooked-up comfort.
Please join my co-host Donna and myself as we both explored meatless meals. No surprise for long-term readers of Donna’s blog, but this is the 2nd month in a row for me!
As always we’d love to hear from you and learn what’s on your plate, either in the Comments or using the Link Party link:
Rock on,
The WB
Joanne and I returned from our fabulous trip to the west coast of the island (read about it here and here) to find this:
We decided to make a quick lunch, from this and other bounty from the garden. With the help of these and a can of pizza sauce:
I had made some quick refrigerator pickles from my pole bean bounty, before Joanne’s arrival.
And Joanne made a quick little zucchini salad using olive oil, vinegar, garlic…and oregano and chives from my garden.
That’s it for me! And Donna is off hiking in Portugal with her husband, so no Link Party this month. She wrote about what was on her plate here before she abandoned me left.
Please let me know in the Comments what was on your plate this past month! As always, I look forward to them.
Rock on,
The WB
Rock on,
The WB
Warning: Picture-heavy post!
Pole beans and squash in raised beds:
Wind chime that followed me home from the Butchart Gardens gift shop:
My tea/herb garden this year:
Hostas and lupin that emerged this spring:
Planted a foam flower in front of the bird bath. Hope it does well in its new home:
The black currant I planted this spring:
One of the two elderberries I planted this spring:
One of the 3 bare-root black raspberries, also planted this spring:
My fig tree (new to my garden) – which looked for the longest time like a bare stick planted in a pot – is now leafed out and (gasp!) growing actual figs:
I bought a patio set for the new patio and pergola. Very comfortable and doubles as an outdoor dining space (long-time readers may recognize the dick pillows):
I have not forgotten to make my garden magical at night. These are solar colour-changing dragonflies (a gift from my landlords, for Mother’s Day last year):
Solar lantern on the patio table:
Fairy lights (also solar), under the wisteria:
And my most stunning solar light, in front of the black currant. Weighted down with a cool rock I found on Bowser’s Secret Trail:
Close-up of the light in action:
Full-effect of this particular solar light. Isn’t it stunning?
Stay tuned for more updates as the season progresses. Future plans include enjoying the harvest, building 2 more raised beds, and creating a fire pit space!
Rock on,
The WB
…And like most births, it was accompanied by long hours of sweat, pain, cursing, and some blood loss 😉. I will let the pictures do the talking for the most part, as this is going to a very picture heavy post of the backyard transformation at my new home.
So that’s it for the bare bones of this garden. The next garden post will be what it looks like now!
Rock on,
The WB
Today is stinking hot but at least it’s not raining. Most of June consisted of rainy weekends, like this one:
Rainy weekends are good for the gardens but piss off those of us still working Monday-Friday.
After a slow start (completely the fault of the gardener), the 2018 Badass Rooftop Garden polebean crop is finally making progress.
Earlier in the month, I took part in the annual 4 Day-Evening walk at the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. This was held during the week, so no rain, natch. I also wrote about it here.
This is an event brought over from the Netherlands, by Dutch-Canadians, and a whole lot of fun.
When the rain stopped on the weekends (usually late in the day), I was able to walk around my own stomping grounds as well.
On the concert front, I was treated to Mother Mother and Little Destroyer on June 25th, as a Mother’s Day present from Mizz J.
One benefit of all the rain: I was indoors more than usual and was able to work on a painting (not finished as yet).
Another benefit of all this rain, I think: has anybody else noticed the Ontario strawberries are exceptional this year?
Have a wonderful July and a wonderful Canada Day tomorrow (and a fabulous 4th of July to my US neighbours!).
The Changing Seasons is a monthly photo challenge hosted by Su Leslie, of Zimmerbitch.
Rock on,
The WB
Last summer was the first year I had a garden, here at Chez Badass – my rooftop garden. My very expensive rooftop garden, when you consider I had to invest a couple hundred dollars in containers and soil to grow less than $10 worth of plants and seeds. But no matter, the enjoyment I got from it was priceless.
I decided that I will focus on growing things that are hard to get at farm markets or from directly from farmers. Hence pretty much the only thing I want to grow is pole beans. Which I cannot easily source, otherwise! Why is that, I wonder? They taste so much better than bush beans.
Soon I’ll be ordering my seeds from this place:
And here is my pick for this year:
I’ll be plunking down $2.25 for these babies, plus some peat pots to start them in. Looking so forward to harvesting fresh beans most nights for supper, all summer long. Already dreaming about how good these will taste alongside my corn and tomatoes on a hot summer evening, on my rooftop patio, accompanied by a cold beer.
Do you grow anything to eat in the summer? Have you ever had pole beans?
Rock on,
The WB
Can you guess my theme for this year’s A-Z Challenge? All of my A-Z posts this month will be tied into my theme, which is represented by the title of a song that was popular when I was a child. Can you figure it out as the days (and posts) go by? Leave your guesses (one per day only, please) in the comments. At the end of the challenge, I will reveal the theme. Have fun!
First a PSA: thanks to the power of the Twitterverse and a blogger named Kat of AsKatKnits, I learned that NaBloPoMo is still a thing! Another blogger (Aimie from Blissful Lemon) is hosting it this year. Go Aimie! Link up here, if interested in joining in the challenge (and the fun!).
Here is part 2 of how I made the most of Ontario’s better-late-than-never summer weather :
And now the real fall is finally upon us. Dark mornings and early evenings and damp, cold, windy weather.
Thankfully, I have this to look forward to during these dark days ahead:
Rock on until tomorrow!
The WB
Back in February I committed to another half-marathon race. I started training for the Niagara Falls Women’s Half Marathon (again). Things started out well but I began to struggle as temperatures rose and distances increased. I made the decision early in May that I would not participate, as I couldn’t meet the minimum pace required to finish the course in time.
This was a tough decision to make and initially I felt defeated and like a failure. I have successfully trained for and completed 5 half-marathons and I have never had this problem before.
I had no idea why I wasn’t improving despite adhering to my tried and true schedule of training walks. I wondered if maybe I was developing exercise intolerance due to the daily medication I now have to take (thanks TIAs!) or if work was kicking my ass even more than I suspected. What the hell has changed?
I made an appointment to see my doc for a physical and blood tests were ordered. My clever doc ordered a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test to be done along with the “usual suspects” of blood counts, lipid profiles, blood sugar etc. I downloaded my results on Friday and noticed the TSH levels were reported as abnormally high, meaning my thyroid gland may be under-performing. Hmmmm….this explains a lot of symptoms I am experiencing, not just my poor performance on my walks.
I am making an appointment to discuss this with my doc first thing Monday, to see what the next steps are. I do feel a bit better now about my inability to meet the pace requirements for today’s race. I know I made the right call to pull out, even though a part of me wishes I was on the course with all the other runners and walkers right now.
Anyhow, it does seem that indeed something has changed and I will get that investigated further and addressed. Stay tuned!
In other Badass news, I have experienced a setback with my rooftop garden as well. Thanks, Mother Nature.
Looks like this gardening adventure is going to be a “fall down 7 times; get up 8” type scenario. Still up for the challenge!
In Kayaking news, I took my newest acquisition out for its maiden voyage. (I’m stopping now with kayak purchases, I promise!).
When the weather is bad, I play around with my art supplies. I put together a new storage cabinet yesterday for my ever-expanding collection of pencils, crayons, markers, inks and paints.
Here’s a sneak peek at a work in progress.
Rock on,
The WB
