CounselingBlog

In the garden

Rhinoceros Beetle

This beetle and some of his/her closest friends have moved into my garden. Apparently, they are not dangerous in any way. In fact, I read on the internet that some children keep them as pets in other countries.

I am not a bug person, and I have no plans to keep this creature as a pet - its a bit scary to me, but I think we can happily coexist.

I will be back to writing counseling articles next week - just needed a spring break of sorts and thought ya'll would enjoy the little updates from the garden, iphone, etc.

Cynthia

Is it a conspiracy?

I walked outside this morning to put some Sun Tea out to brew, and I noticed that I could see the koi in the pond - swimming around.

That wouldn't be strange at all, except my pond is usually covered with lovely water lilies like this one

I walked down the rock steps - and gasped - literally.

ALL the lilies, and the lily pads were gone, completely gone.  The poor fish were hovering in the bottom of the pond with no shade and no cover. 

I checked the skimmer basket - no lily pads in there - so something must've eaten them all.  My guess is that deer came, in the night, and had a feast.

The actual lilies bulbs are in the bottom of the pond, but it will be weeks before they put on enough leaves to shade the pond.  Ponds need shade, not only for the fish, but also to keep the algae from running rampant.

So I spent my day at Water Garden Gems - a lovely pond place about an hour from my house.  I bought new plants, and some other things to help the pond.  The folks there are really nice.

Now to the conspiracy part...

A quick check of my blog posts from last summer shows that exactly one week ago (last year) the deer and the raccoons raided all my tomato plants and spoiled my tomato crop - and my mood.

Last year the land was dry, so the animals foraging was understandable.  This year, we are lush and green - there is NO reason for them to eat all my lilies.

Stupid deer.

So I am heading out now to replant my pond and give the poor koi a break.  I keep imagining the raccoons coming tonight to go fishing, since the fish have no where to hide - it could be a massacre.

Next year, you all are invited to a campout at my house - from June 17 -24.  We'll divide up in teams and some will sleep by the tomatoes and some by the pond.

Cynthia
***************
Cynthia McKenna Counseling
www.cynthiamckennacounseling.com

It's Here!

Well, I am about 3 weeks late, but I am starting my tomato plants today.  I grown mostly heirloom tomatoes, with seeds purchased through Seed Saver's Exchange and other organic sources, as well as seeds traded with other tomato lovers.

Isn't it a bit early to be talking about tomatoes?  Well, actually no.  In Texas, the growing season is short - we have until about the end of June to get good fruit set, then the plants wait until August to start setting fruit again - the July sun and temps are too intense for the pollen to survive.

So lots of people started their tomato seeds on Boxing Day, but with the renovations at home, I just couldn't get it done.

However, today is the day.  I am heading to Home Depot to pick up seed starting mix and by tonight, I'll be happily incubating some tomatoes.

I can't quite explain my love of tomatoes -it is a deep and true devotion.  You know how it goes, you see a lush tomato plant at a friend's house, or maybe your neighbor shares some of the largess of their crop...you taste that warm tomato flesh, and you want another...

It is absolutely an addiction with me.  I promised myself "no more store bought tomatoes" and only gave in one time this winter -

Store bought tomatoes are not the same creatures as home grown - I might even suggest they are a different species!  The varieties are selected to withstand transit and still have a perfect tomato shape.  They are also cultivated to withstand long periods of storage.  they are picked green, and then ripen, if that is what you can call it, along the way in cardboard boxes and grocery refrigerators. 

I don't like store bought tomatoes.  I think we should all grow our own tomatoes, or support local farmers and farmer's markets and buy up all their lovely tomatoes.

Heirloom tomatoes are different than hybrid tomatoes. 

Hybrids are cultivated to select for desirable properties - like really big tomatoes, or tomatoes perfect for sauces and canning.  there are some great hybrid varieties - Sun Gold and Early Wonder come to mind.  Hybrids are cross pollinated and then the seeds are grown out over several generations to make sure the crossing is stable (so if you are looking for Sun Gold you actually get that delicious little golden tomato - not red, not yellow)

Heirloom tomatoes are grown from seeds that have a history.  They often have stories like, "variety grown by my Russian grandfather" or "saved from tomatoes my Aunt Sue got from her husbands mother."  they have names like Earl of Edgecomb, Aunt Ginny's German Green, Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine, and Pink Ping Pong.  They don't come out perfectly shaped, some need to be eaten almost as quickly as you pick them because they don't store very well.  But oh my, are they delicious!  They even have a bit of a pedigree.  The seeds can be traced back to the person that had them first - that always amazes me.

Here is to the tomatoes of 2007 - I can't wait to taste them!

Just in case you want to know more about heirloom tomatoes, check out Tomatoville - and tell them I sent you !

Cynthia
*************
Cynthia McKenna, LPC, NCC
www.cynthiamckennacounseling.com

Balancing

This summer was unusually hot and dry for Central Texas.  The wild grasses around my house turned brown and died.  We were on water rationing, so even the flower beds barely survived.

About a month ago, the weather cooled off and we got some much needed rain. It was joyous.

Now the once dead grasses are thigh-high in spots and the weed eater is no match for them.

It is so interesting to me how the earth renews herself.  I was certain that I would only have dust and dirt around the house, and now you can't really even see the ground because of all the overgrown grass.

It has restored my faith in nature - that the earth can heal itself even without my interference. 

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that the earth will repair years of over harvesting, dumping waste, landfills overflowing with plastics and toxic chemicals.  We have to actively work to preserve the earth and air, It worries me greatly to hear of ice caps melting, etc.

But what has come to my consciousness is that my wanting to water the native grasses did not bring them back - only soaking rains and cooler weather allowed the grasses to turn green again.

it reminds me that there are powerful forces at work - and I can help or hinder them - but it will benefit me to pay attention to them.

It is worth noticing the beauty that surrounds us in every season.

Cynthia

Rainy Saturday

It is raining here, unexpected rain, welcome rain.

I had planned to spend my morning watering all the young trees we have planted (oak, redbuds, crepe myrtle) but wonderful Mother Nature has done it for me.  So I have had a quiet morning at my desk.

We found a solution for the poor tomato patch.  I am going to erect a dog kennel with 6ft walls, and cover the top with chicken wire - that should be enough to keep the wild creatures from harvesting my crops.  I am hopeful that the gigantic tomato cage will be finished this weekend.  Maybe I'll post a photo of the Tomato Fortress.

I write articles for some local publications, as well as for publication on the Internet.  I need to write two self-help articles this week - and am wondering what to focus on.  Most recently, I have written about couples communication and healthy boundaries.  If I were writing the article for myself, it would focus on moving from a state of being  over-extended to a state of balance. 

So, readers, what do you do move yourself from the over-extended & stressed out state back to a place of calm and balance?

I would love to hear your ideas.  Click on the "comments" Burton below and give me your ideas, or send me an email:
cm@cynthiamckennacounseling.com

Happy Saturday to all. 

Cynthia
*************
Cynthea Kenna LC, NC
Counseling & Life Coaching
www.cynthiamckennacounseling.com
www.counseling.typepad.com

I Have Been Robbed!!!

I just discovered that some creature helped him/herself to all my heirlom tomatoes - well, almost all of them., and that is a lot of tomatoes.   I am guessing 75 tomatoes are gone.

Lovely green tomatoes in various stages of development - now in some happy creature's tummy...

and NOT in mine.

Some plants were snapped off, most simply stripped of fruit.    The Jetsetter is completely gone - I suppose the theif took it home as some sort of morbid trophy. 

I am heart-sick.

I have had to grow tomatoes in containers because we don't have a proper vegetable garden.  Growing in containers has been a big learning curve for me.  Figuring out the mix of soil to manure, watering frequency, etc.  I protect the larger plants with wire cages - making a corral for the smaller ones that don't need support yet.  The corral is blocked to outside intruders, or so I thought.

This year, my plants have been healthy, and loaded with blossoms and quickly growing heavy with fruit.

Sigh.

I suspect it was a racoon.  It is possible that a combo of deer and raccoon had a feast. 

Gwen, if you are reading this, it/they even ate the lone Earl of Edgecomb.

Tonight I'll borrow the neighbors "have a heart" trap and see what I get.  And I will "have a heart' and not wring its little theiving neck, but rather release it down by the river. 

And I'll spray McNasty's all over the place to help avoid a second harvest (as if there could be one!!!). 

It is enough to make me want to cry.

I have done a count.  There are three tomatoes left - about golf ball size.  There are a few pea sized baby fruit, but everything else is gone - stripped.  Even the cherry tomatoes are cleaned off... I am thinking raccoon now.

If you scroll down the page a bit, you can read a happier tomato post.

I am opening a bottle of wine.

The Great Tomato Race

Just in case you haven't noticed, I love growing tomatoes.  When I first started growing tomatoes, I bought only heirloom plants, not because I wanted to, but because that is what was for sale that day.  I got them home and started looking around the internet and foudn that there were entire discussion forums devoted to tomatoes - and I was hooked.

Several years have passeed and my tomato growing prowess has improved, and my ability to turn down a variety has all but disappeared.  So when I started seeds in February, I knew I would have lots of extra plants.  In mid-march, I planted my tomatoes, and carried the rest to work, and sold every plant.  Made a nice profit too...

In order to get people excited about tomatoes, I developed "The Great Tomato Race."  I gave them a detailed description of each variety, the expected days to maturity (DTM), and offered big prizes for the first early season, mid-season, and late season tomato, as well as the biggest tomato.

Today, at staff meeting, I'll be giving out the prizes.  The early tomato winners (there was a tie) will get:

• One basill plant
• One oregano plant
• One clove of garlic
• One small bottle of EVOO from Whole Foods

I am hoping they enjoy the prizes, I had fun thinking of them.  Mid and late season winners will get either basil & mozerella, or basil & a nice hard  Italian sausage plus the olive oil. 

The biggest tomato winner will get all the makings for a BLT.

The upside of all of this is that my co-workers became interested in heirloom tomatoes.  They talked about the tomatoes they had when they were kids, many bought plants so their kids could try growing them, and they are now learning just how long you have to wait to get a tomtato - cuz it is a slow process.

Ann Zuccardy, of Vermont Shortbread has expressed an interest in my tomato garden at home.  Here are the varieties I am growing:

• Earl of Edgecomb
• Aunt Gerties' German Green
• Akers West Virginia
• Mortgage Lifter
• Jaune Flammee *
• Korney's XXX *
• Sungold - hybrid *
• Elfin
• Riesentraube
• Mexico Midget *
• Brandywine Suddoth
• Brandywine OTV
• Early Wonder - hybrid
• Jetsetter
• Bloody Butcher
• Mystery Tomato - probably Wes
• Silvery Fir Tree *
• Black Krim *
• Noir de Crimmee *
• Gregor's Altai
• Rutgers
• Hillbilly
• Chadwick's Cherry *
• Andrew Rahart's Jumbo Red
• Omar's Lebaneese
• Persimmon

The ones with a * are ones I have grown before, the rest are new.  My Bloody Butcher actually damped off and died, but some of the folks at work have plants that survived, so I might get to taste one. 

Check out these tomato websites:  TomatoVille and Growing Tomatoes Forum @ Garden Web

If you are into heirlooms, you have to visit (and join) Seed Saver's Exchange

That is your tomato update for today.

Cynthia McKenna LPC, NCC ~ The Tomato Queen

www.CynthiaMcKennaCounseling.com

Heirloom Tomatoes

One of my passions is growing Heirloom Tomatoes - I have around 20 varieties, and I am hoping for a BIG harvest this year.

Like most tomato growers, I anxiously await the first ripe tomato.  I plan when to pick it, how I will eat it, and most of all, how good it will taste. 

On Friday, I saw five almost-ripe tomatoes, and although the tomato experts (like Dr. Carolyn Male) say you can harvest them as soon as the color is 1/2 up the fruit, I decided to leave them on the vine.

Well, they are gone.  Disappeared!  The most likely culpret is Tallulah, my 2-year-old yellow Labrador.  She has a particular fondness for tomatoes, and though she hardly ever gets in trouble, i think she decided SHE needed the first tomatoes of the season.

If you want to learn more about heirloom tomatoes, I highly recommend, "100 Hierloom Tomatoes for the American Garden" - By Dr. Carolyn J. Male.

I am going to Tractor Supply later to get more fencing.