Garden Notes

Here is an inventory of the herbs I have found grow best here, and how many plants I have in my herb/flower beds at the moment.  (I use some more than others, for instance, the chocolate mint is just so nice to grab a sprig of and enjoy the fragrance while out in the yard, but I haven't found a good culinary use yet.)

Lemon Balm (1) This one plant is a survivor of many seasons.  It grows in a pot on the patio, usually with Basil as a roommate.

Lemon balm in the foreground with basil.

Basil (4) There are four basil plants in the garden.  Two of them are in the pots shown above.  Basil is used in many things, most notably the pesto recipe I posted yesterday.

Sage (3) There are three  clumps of sage growing in the gardens.  (One in the pot on the left above, one in the herb bed, and a large clump in the back garden beds.)  Sage is used in many recipes, and looks interesting in the garden.

Sage is in the far end of this nearest garden bed.

 

 

 

The large clump of sage in the back garden.  This has been growing here for about 2 years now.

Rosemary (3)  There are three rosemary plants in my gardens out back, and one in the pot on the front porch.  You can barely see one of the rosemary plants in the first of the pictures above, right between the two marigolds on the right center.

Rosemary growing in the main herb bed in the middle of the yard.

There's oregano behind it, and begonias right beside it.









Lavender (4) There are four lavender plants in my gardens this year.  The one in the picture on the right  is mostly ornamental, and for fragrance. 

This one in the picture on the left is used for many things, including cooking.










Oregano (6)  There are about six clumps of oregano growing in the main herb bed.  They came from a couple of plants that just went native in there.  Mint is the only thing I know more pervasive than Oregano. 

This is but one of the large clumps of oregano in that main central herb bed.  Having fresh oregano is handy when making pesto and also tomato sauces.










Garlic Chives (7)  These have truly naturalized themselves all over the yard.  There's a small clump in the main herb bed, and then six or so in the back garden bed closest to the shed and the north fence.  Every time Matt does the weed eating back in that area behind the shed, it smells like garlic out there for a couple of days. 

All those spiky, grass-like plants are garlic chives.  They grow in that garden bed with basil, and  snapdragons and marigolds, and I think a begonia as well.

 Garlic chives are good for salads, in sauces, and are an important part of the pesto sauce I make.












Chocolate Mint (2)  This year I planted two little pots of chocolate mint.  I have never found a culinary use for it, but it smells so delicious, and is so enjoyable just to pick and carry around savoring the fragrance. 

This on the left is the chocolate mint that is in the center of the main herb bed.  Right at the feet of my little statue of St. Francis. 


Below and to the right is the chocolate mint in the back garden, in the front bed that is next to the shed.  It grows right next to the huge batch of sage,and among a lot of marigolds and a begonia or two.  There is also a clump of very hardy Mother Of Thyme right there.

Thyme  (2)  There are two kinds of thyme in my garden.  German thyme, also called creeping thyme or mother of thyme, and English thyme.  The mother of thyme can be seen just above and to the right of the chocolate mint in the photo above right.  

 And here below is the English thyme in the main herb bed.  

Parsley (2)  There are two parsley plants this year.  One in the corner of the main herb bed, and one in the square raised beds on the south side of the yard.  The photo shows the plant in the main herb bed.

Catnip (2) (Or possibly more)  The catnip is coming up volunteer from many years of previous plantings.  It is only in the main herb bed, and right near the oregano and parsley on the north-west side of that large bed. 

We no longer have a cat, but I guess I can supply my friends' cats with homegrown kitty happiness weed.  Catnip does have other uses, most in folk remedies, which I do not dabble in.

This is the current inventory of herbs in my gardens.  Thought it might make for an interesting post. 

Herbs, Sweat, and Pesto

Today I had to trim the basil back. For once is it growing very enthusiastically.  Since there was so much of it, I decided to  make a batch of my infamous pesto. 
Photos of the process to follow.

To start, you need to harvest enough fresh basil leaves, oregano leaves, and garlic chives to be sure you have sufficient greens for the pesto. 

 

Then you have to wash everything well.

 

You need 3 cups of basil leaves, 1 cup of oregano leaves, and 1/2 cup of garlic chives, cut into 1/4" pieces.

 

You also need 12 Tablespoons of Olive Oil (I Use extra virgin), 6 Tablespoons of herb vinegar (I use Salata), 6 Tablespoons of pine nuts or walnuts, 4 large cloves of garlic, sliced, 1 teaspoon of salt,  1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 or a little less, teaspoon of cayenne, and 2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese.

You start with the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper,and cayenne.  

Blend until is looks uniform and creamy, like the picture just above.  Then add the herbs and blend until smooth and creamy.  Add the cheese, blend well.

 I had a few issues with that ginormous food processor, so no pictures of the herbs awhirl, I'm afraid.  Here's the finished product, all packed in containers to freeze.

Now you know how to make my pesto sauce.  I got the recipe from a book called Herbal Treasures by Phyllis V. Shaudys.  The book is choc full of things to do with the herbs from your garden.  It would be worth a Google search to see if it's still available if you love herbs.  

I also made a paste of parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme and a tiny bit of lavender for a poultry seasoning.  Haven't tried it yet.  Going to see how it works tomorrow, perhaps.  

The gardens this year have been lovely.  It has been a lot of work, producing much perspiration in this humid Spring and Summer we've had.  It has also been rather expensive buying plants, potting mix, fertilizer, and the water to keep it all growing.  So far the weather has been reasonable.  Here's hoping it doesn't get so stinking hot and fry my poor gardens alive like it did year before last.  Got so discouraged that year, I didn't even try last year.  

Here are some reasons I'm glad I got the gardens going this year:

Sorry they won't line up for me.  Never could get the knack of that on this blog software.  Maybe someday.  For now, this will have to do.

 

Some Independence Day Observances

It's been awhile since I wrote anything.  Been having a dry spell, a bit of a numbness and sadness about me.  Don't know why.  Some relationships are a little distant, that concerns me, but I know overall, things are good.  Just haven't known what I wanted to say.
Today was the day we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  My grandfather was caretaker of the home one of the signers who was from Georgia.  Meadow Garden, home of George Walton.  We stayed in his little house on the grounds when we visited.  The main house was creepy if you were there alone.  The downstairs kitchen was all right, but upstairs, I heard someone walking around on the floor above me when I KNEW nobody else was in the house. Could hear someone humming in the kitchen sometimes, but it was a good feeling, not creepy like the footsteps.  (I was 11 that year, I think.)  Always think of Grandpa and Meadow Garden on the 4th, the day Mr. Walton earned his place in history.  Grandpa was only at the house (belonged to a local historical society) for a few years before retiring, but it was a fascinating place. 

About a month ago, I volunteered to help out at the library's tent in the Celebration In the Heartland at Buck Thomas Park.  This is an annual event in Moore, lots of vendors, local agencies, churches, businesses, and the library, have tents or booths set up to do a little community outreach.  We usually have a couple of craft activities, a water play table for the little kids, and sign ups for Summer Reading, and temporary tattoos, and stuff like that.  This year I ran the tattoo area.  Matt helped a lot when we got busy.  There were a LOT of people there this year.  Really made us glad to see how many who came in were our regulars who recognize us from the library, and really, a lot of new faces who were very glad to hear about the library. 

After we tidied up the tent and helped load the van, Matt and I walked over to the bank of the little creek that runs through the park, and sat on the ground to wait for the fireworks.  There were frogs in the creek making noise, and fireflies darting around.  LOTS of people, but the vibe was very happy, very friendly.  I usually do NOT do well in crowds, but well, these were my neighbors, my library customers, not really strangers.  Everybody was very polite.  Amazing, really.  
The fireworks show was fabulous.  It's been YEARS since I've seen one up close.  (We used to be able to see the fireworks in the park from our driveway, but the intervening trees are too large now.)
It was a great feeling to sit there, and be as amazed as a child again by the bright lights and loud booms.  The cheers and applause of my neighbors making a heartwarming added effect, when you could hear it over the music. 

Today I felt better about a lot of things, and it was my community that helped me remember just how blessed I am.  I may not agree with the prevailing politics around here, but I will not deny that my neighbors are good people.  Their hearts are in the right places, they are trying to do what they believe is right, and even if they disagree with you, most of them will still like you.  This little city has been through an awful lot in the last 18 months. This year's celebration was much lighter of heart than last year, and there is more hope and new life and there are even new residents with us.  After all the destruction that made the news a year ago in May, it would be nice to see someone show the growth, the rebuilding, the joy that is evident in Moore today. 

It took a LONG time to get out of that parking lot and home tonight.  (Probably could have walked faster.)  Still, people were for the most part being considerate and taking turns and I didn't hear any honking.   Once we got clear of the park, things went very quickly.  We really do live about a mile or maybe a little more away.  We've been home for awhile now, and winding down. 
So grateful to all my Moore neighbors and friends, and also to my Twitter friends, for sharing this day with me, and for helping me cheer up.  You guys are the best.  Really.

Warning: Poetry Again

This Father's Day
By Carolyn Kay Armistead
June 15, 2014

I was his baby girl
The one he worried about
I faced a different world
Than the one in which he fought.

He pushed me
As much as he could,
To get out and see
To make a difference
In my world.

He never really told me
But I know he was proud
Of me, and my abilities
Of the life I chose to live
Not an easy one,
But the best one for me.

He left us much too soon.
An accident, and he was taken
The man I was sure had
Hung the moon.
The man whose passion for learning
Pushed me to study and read
And teach.

Mom gave me the folded flag
That had been on his coffin.
Because he was a vet.
No way she could know
How the sight of that flag
Could make my blood run cold.
Because every military wife
Dreads being given a flag to hold
When she'd much rather have
The man who served it with pride.

 Pop survived his service,
And thankfully,
So did my husband survive his.
I have a lot more than a flag
To remember Pop by.
Though still I miss him
As years go by
It gets easier to remember him
And smile
For all the good times he made sure
We had
For the love he gave his children
Will never, ever die.

Old Songs

By Carolyn Kay Armistead
June 15, 2014

Music and memory
So tied together
Melodies are haunting
Because they make you remember
Times and places
People you once knew
The way you used to be
And the things you used to do.
Some songs can make me feel
Like a teen again
Bring back those heady days
Of high school
Hanging out with my friends
So easily
With just a melody
A lyric
Remember...
Some songs bring back childhood
And watching my Mom
Try to dance
Around the house while she was cleaning
With Sinatra
Or Bing
Or the Big Bands
On the stereo.
Remember...
Old Abba songs
Bring back the magic
Of long talks
With Matthew
When we were both
So young and so in love.
Yes, I remember.
 Ah, such memories.
Such treasure
All to be found
In a song.



The Book Sorter Song
By C.K.Armistead 6/15/2014

Book comes in
Door comes down
For a while,
Nothing.
THEN
Down the belt,
Around the corner,
Into the bin
It belongs in.
Even before
It hits the bin
The next book
Has rolled in.
Starts its journey,
Finds its way,
And of course
Another
Is already waiting.
All goes well
Books moving along
As we try to keep up
Sorting onto carts
From the bins,
Listening to
The sorter's song.
Then,
It stops dead
Oh, dread.
The light
For some unknown reason
Is red.
We check, we reset,
We cross our fingers
And pray,
The computer restarts
The belts do their dance
And before long
Once again
We're humming along
Singing the sorter's song.



Elusive Words

C. K. Armistead
6/15/14

Barge around in my head
Keep me from thinking straight
Or sleeping
Or reading
Yet
Will NOT get out on the page.
You elude me.
Babbling on when I have no way
To catch you,
Put you on paper
Or on screen
Then disc
And thus keep you.
Somehow
You seek to avoid capture
As if fearing
Servitude
As if you wouldn't
 Still be words
With something to say
As if by getting you down
And in order
I wouldn't be giving you
A voice
A chance to be heard
Somewhere besides
The inside of my skull.
So please
Now that I am here
Where I can save you
Please,
Words?
Come out
And play.


All of these poems have been written this evening, over the course of an hour or two.  These are really just my way of stretching the writing muscles, of hoping to coax the words out.  I know they are not polished and completely finished.  They may never be.  But this is how poetry is sometimes.
Not very lyric, not always neat, not even always rhyming.  A lot like life.  A bit messy, but in its own way, beautiful.

A Few More Poems...

Promises, Promises
By C.K. Armistead
June 2014
(For Michael O., because he loved it so)

Early Spring is a lovely promise.
New shoots,
Young leaves,
Tender blooms.

But early Summer
Is a promise fulfilled
Thick, green grass,
Deep, dappled shade,
Beautiful blossoms.



Cloud Fleet
C.K. Armistead
June, 2014

 After their midnight Battle
Filled with cannons of thunder
And bomb bursts of lightening
With fusillades  of water
That drenched the thirsty land
 All day Nature's vast armada
Has sailed past
Giving teasing glimpses
Of ocean-blue sky
Between the great grey ships
Casting shadow patterns
On the sparkling land.
 Perhaps their majesty
We should heed
As a reminder this day
That we live perpetually
Beneath Nature's
Daunting sway.


Little Makeshift Girl
By C. K. Armistead
June 2014

Just a makeshift girl
Good enough to pass the time
Until you find
The one you really want.
Forlorn lonely girl
Knows she isn't really
In anybody's heart.
She tries not to mind
But when no one's around
The makeshift girl
Falls apart
Can't make do
With part-times and
Promises forever
With almost-love
And not-quite-right
She cries herself to sleep
Most nights.
But somewhere
There's a love
Just for her
Even though she doesn't know it.
Hang on, makeshift girl,
Don't blow it
He'll soon come 'round
And then you'll know it
You deserve a love
All your own.


Compton 90221

By C.K. Armistead
June, 2014

Once, it was a good place.
We had block parties
Lots of different colored faces
Having fun
Sharing food and laughter.
And then the others came.
The ones with guns and cruel hate
Drove all the smiling ones
Away.
Left our block, our whole town,
Seedy and weedy
And full of bullet holes
And the profound sorrow
Of lost Hope.



Healing
By C.K.Armistead
June 2014

 More than a year
Has come and gone
Since the storms
Chewed up our town.
Still, many empty lots
Many businesses gone
Lives still rebuilding.
Yet,
Many homes are rebuilt.
Many new people have
Come to live in this little city
With the great big heart.
New plans are in place
To keep us all safe
As can be
If Nature decides
Again to be nasty.
Folks are still
Quick to smile
Glad to see their neighbors
And I am so proud
To be part of this
Community.

Small Miracles
By C. K. Armistead
June, 2014
For Butch and Walt

I hold in the palm of my hand
A gateway to knowledge
All the knowledge
Held in common on this planet.
With it, I can interact with people
On the other side of the country,
Or the world, or even
In orbit around it.
This little gizmo
So common that we
Take it for granted now
Was unimaginable
When I was a child.
My Pop said
Machines like this were
"impossible."
Not so
Said men like my brothers
Who built smaller,
More powerful circuits
And smaller, smarter
Machines
Men who read Asimov
And Bradbury
And dared to dream
Dreams.
Thank you for dreaming
And waking to build.
 

Now Is The Summer Of Our Discontent

Now is the summer of our discontent
We end each workday aching and spent
The loud gales of noisy childhood
Pierce our eardrums, chill our blood
The endless parade of picture books
That need sorting and critical looks
To ensure no damage has been done
Them on their journey's run.

But also a summer of renewed hope
As yes, we struggle to cope
Though to find ourselves needed,
Our help and services pleaded,
Helping young ones make a new start
Does much to soften the heart.
And seeing a child excited to read
Makes us all very glad indeed.


Summer is our busy time at the library.  We are THE place for kids to go for activities, books, fun, movies, and a place to cool off and relax for a bit. 
It is a good and glorious thing that our library is so important to our community, especially to our children. They have a safe place to come to, a place to learn on their own, meet their friends, or just fool around on the Internet for a little while.
We are also a resource for the entire community.  We have business services, and all sorts of computer classes for adults, book clubs, teen activities, many community groups have meetings in our meeting rooms, we're the happening place in town. 
It's true all year, but especially hectic in Summer.  The kids set goals and read books, or are read to by their parents, and so we have a lot more traffic both of people and of books in and out of the building.  Also, we have many special programs during the summer, and on program days (like today was), things can be pretty loud for a library.  I made six new library cards today in my two hour desk shift, and replaced several lost ones.  Summer is also the time for lots of that.  Many fines were paid, and since this is Fine Forgiveness week, some people actually got NO FINES on their very overdue items.  (It's all good, we get our stuff back, and they save some money.  )

This summer I am finding myself discontented because I have been having trouble losing any more weight, and indeed I have gained a few pounds.  I have about 14 pounds left to my goal.  I find it harder to stick to my diet because I want to eat more sugar to have more energy.  I also find it harder to work out as much as I should some days because it is so HOT outside.  Today went better, but last year, it seemed easier, seemed like the weight came off faster and easier, too.  Maybe it's just because I'm older.  Harder to get the old metabolism going fast enough.  Who knows?  Whatever the reason, it's bumming me out.  And I STILL haven't made it to the Farmer's Market yet this year.  Must try to go this Thursday during my "dinner" break.  It is, most conveniently, right next door to the library, in the Community Center parking lot.

Here's to Summer, a time that actually means more work for me, but a time that also allows us to spend more time in our gardens, relaxing and watching the birds and squirrels and rabbits that come by to visit our yard. 

Miscellaneaous Day

Today has been very miscellaneous.  A lot of my days are.  
Today was about cleaning the house in a hurry before work.
It was also about getting my walk in so I would at least have SOME exercise to my credit today.  Besides, it was beautiful out this morning.  My walk was as usual, a very uplifting experience.  This is just a typical middle-class neighborhood, maybe verging more on working class, but it's nice, most places well kept, and many have lovely gardens.  Many people wave to me and smile.  They see me all the time, after all.  Some even remember me from the library.
I have a large collection of music I listen to when I walk.  This week I added three volumes of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits to the mix.  Now I have more to think about when I walk whenever one of his comes up on the mix. 

Work was busy, as we are only in the second official day of Summer Reading Sign Ups.  Lots of kids, parents, grandparents.  Lots of things checking in because this is also fine forgiveness week.  Lots of people paying off old fines to get a fresh start for Summer Reading Season.
Lots also coming in with Friends donations.  Guess it's also the beginning of Permanent Change of Station moves for the military, and a lot of the tornado victims are moving back into rebuilt homes.  So, a lot of very interesting books are coming in for the Friends to sell.  I found several today that appeal to my eclectic interests.  1,000 Places To See Before You Die , Office Haiku , Oxford Hachette French Dictionary , The New College Latin and English Dictionary , Street French , The Book of Courtly Love , and The Intellectual Devotional .  Earlier this month, I found a copy of  Star Trek Lives , a book about fandom and conventions and one fan's experience that I read years ago.  It's great fun.  Also found an antiquated little book called The Story Of Scotland , by F. Fraser Darling  It was sold at the Burns Cottage gift shop.  Beautiful illustrations. 
So, I have gained a few treasures this week, some I went in search of, and others that I happened upon. 

I have also had some fun conversations in the last few days.  Some on Twitter, some face to face. 
The door to the staff work area was left open yet again, and my desk area is right there.  Two of the photos Ron Perlman autographed for me are facing toward the door.  (The Beauty and the Beast photo, and the photo of Ron and me from Dallas Comic Con.)  A customer had  called in the door to see if one of her hold books had arrived yet, as it was not on the hold shelf, and I happened to be right there.  She smiled and said "I love your pictures.  Especially the top one." ( Beauty and the Beast photo)  She's another BATB fan.  Not really into fandom per se, and hadn't even tried to find Ron or Linda on social media.  I told her about the pages I know about. Told her there are great BATB fan sites out there if she hadn't found them yet.    I also told her that yes, Ron Perlman is a sweetheart to his fans.  Especially those of us who've been fans for  a long time.   She said that she's always heard that about him. 

The photos I display at work are copies, by the way.  The originals are safely framed and on the walls here in my office.  I like having the photos at work to remind me that dreams do come true! 
(Also gives my boss something to tease me about.  He calls my work area "The Perlman Shrine.")

The problem with miscellaneous days like this is that my mind wanders off in all sorts of odd directions, especially if I'm trying to write.  This is rather short, and rather disjointed, but today felt very short of time and very disjointed.  Lots of stuff done, time flying by. 
Many things I think about doing and never get around to.  At least tonight I am writing, and listening to some music I really like, getting ready to go read a bit more, perhaps. 

Thanks for reading.  I do seem to have a few of you who read pretty regularly.