Tag Archives: vegetable garden

Happy Ending!

For those of you that have been following my postings, you will know that at our birdfeeders we have seen a black-headed grosbeak wihich has a broken wing. He has wintered here with us, when instead he is supposed to … Continue reading

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Update on our Black-Headed Grosbeak

Those of you who follow this blog already know that we have a wonderful black-headed Grosbeak wintering in our garden – he is supposed to be in Southern Mexico or Latin America, but because of a wing injury, he has … Continue reading

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Two Best Buds – Our Bourke Parrots (aka Bourke Parakeets); Our Female bird gets the munchies!

These two birds have come a long way since they first met. Now they can share the same cage, and when they do, they are very sympatico. Here are some little glimpses into their world: Here is some footage of … Continue reading

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Rosie and Emma Plant a Seed™ Now Available on Amazon!

Rosie and Emma Plant a Seed™ is M. Nicole van Dam’s joyous and beautifully illustrated children’s book about a young girl Emma and her Leonberger dog Rosie, who find a mysterious seed and plant it. As the mysterious seed grows, … Continue reading

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Super Tough, Inspirational Squirrel Shows Spirit!

Our little Molly Squirrel seems to have been in some mishap – perhaps she slipped in the rain – so now one of her hind legs seems to just hang there.  Somehow, she seems to be managing on three legs … Continue reading

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New Bird Feeder Gets Approval from Black-Headed Grosbeak!

Here is a photo of the new bird feeder set-up and of the black-headed grosbeak checking out the new feeder today! Since our bird feeder was so extraordinarily busy, we decided to hang a second one, and it just received … Continue reading

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On Bourke Parrots (Parakeets) and Organic Vegetable Gardens

Well, it’s very common for the Bourkes, after they’ve been out for awhile, to fly back to their cages, and frequently they play games – each one flies into the other’s cage, for example. Well, today our happy little Bourkes … Continue reading

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Today’s Harvest!

It was glorious in the garden today – a slight cool breeze, warm sun on the shoulders, just wonderful.  I harvested a cheery pile of colorful rainbow Swiss chard, sweet grape tomatoes, and aromatic fresh basil.  Tonight I’ll saute it … Continue reading

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Our Princess Bourke lays FOUR eggs, and another GLORIOUS day in the Garden!

First, the big and yet not big news.  Our little Bourke parrot has laid four eggs, and she is quite proud to show them off. Of course these eggs are all unfertilized, so her quest to hatch them is sadly … Continue reading

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Blissfully Peacefully Perfect Moments in the Garden this Morning

It was just lovely in the garden this morning.  Birds all a-twitter, my 120 pound Leonberger and 10 pound Chihuahua/Pomeranian/Papillion happily and comically by my side – you can’t look at these two dogs together and NOT smile: The garden … Continue reading

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I’m Planted! All Veggie Boxes Full and Veggie-eutiful!

I’m thrilled! The gardener came today, armed with wire, soil, new sprinkler heads, and yippeee-I-oh! The last two vegetable boxes are repaired and planted. Here are some pictures. Note the corn for the raccoons and gophers – two varieties for … Continue reading

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Ok – I admit it – I’m Cheating!

Virtually everything in my veggie garden last year, I planted from seeds using the Park Seed “Biodome” – and we had a nice harvest, no complaints – in fact the gophers and raccoons found the corn especially yummie! As I … Continue reading

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Crop Report April 4!

It’s so wonderful to go to the garden – this is the most exciting time – new little sprouts seemingly by the moment.  First I checked the veggie box I planted a few days ago.  I noticed that it was … Continue reading

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Miracle Basil Seeds & Today’s Citrus Harvest – No April Fool’s Prank!

Unbelievably, after posting yesterday that I would need to buy some basil seeds, I went through my mail and there, in a Sunset magazine letter asking me to subscribe, was a packet of Basil seeds!  If they grow well, Sunset … Continue reading

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The Veggie Garden is BEGUN!

It can be delayed no longer – in fact already I am late. Time to face the overgrown wilderness that once was my veggie garden. The first step is to arm myself with the requisite tools – seeds, markers, pens, … Continue reading

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DISCOVERY: Best Tasting Tomato is NOT the Prettiest Shape or Color!

These photos say it all – the sudden bit of Summer in Fall was exactly what my tomatoes needed – and they are juicy and delicious!  You can really see the difference between the varieties I planted.  The chocolate cherry … Continue reading

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New Harvest, New Recipes!

Today was a phenominal harvest, so beautiful, so bountiful, a gift!!!  One plump fig, one huge zuccini, lovely tomatoes of different varieties, one mystery melon, a juicy orange, basil – basil – and – more – basil, and….my first pomegranite!!!!  … Continue reading

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Heat Wave Good for Something!

The heat wave here blazed through the weekend.  A/C bill undoubtedly through the roof this month!  But the good news is – all that late summer sunshine kissed my green boulder-sized, rock hard heirloom tomatoes and made them blush juicy ripe!  Check … Continue reading

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Why Can’t Raccoons Love Zuccini more than Corn?

Horror of horrors – all those lovely ears of corn I was so anxiously waiting for – ears that had succombed to a gopher last year, have now been COMPLETELY ravaged by a raccoon!  The little brute (adorable but a … Continue reading

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Did All This Really Start from Tiny Seeds?

I can’t believe how these tiny little sprouts have grown.  Did I really plant them from seed only a few months ago (see the March blog post!  They were only baby sprouts then!)?  It seems like the heirloom tomatoes are … Continue reading

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