Help! My Catmint Is Eating My Flowerbed!
0 comment Thursday, October 9, 2014 |
No, seriously - it's taking OVER. I can't believe how huge this plant has become, even with regular feline visits. It's giving the sage a run for its money. The catmint is literally crowding everything out of the bed and I'm going to have to do some serious pruning. I think I'll give a call to some of my facebook friends who have cats after I cut it down and offer out the love. I had tried to wait until all the flowers had been fertilised as it brings loads of bees to the garden, but now that most are wilting it's time for a big prune. It's really the wrong time for me to harvest this for medicinal means but I'm sure cats far and wide will appreciate it.
Today I am extending my haiku gardening and doing some mowing, strimming and hedge-trimming. This costs more than my usual allocation of spoons; as a matter of fact I've had to just call it a day at, oh, 10:30am otherwise I won't have the energy to make lunch; I've a whole chicken in the fridge today and I need the energy to quarter it, marinate it, cook it somehow and then freeze the rest of it, then after all that prepwork actually make myself a meal, then figure out what to make my son tonight. Still, in order to conserve energy I'll definitely be munching some salad tonight thanks to the baby leaf lettuce, which is a Gift That Keeps On Giving.
I was able to get the garden cut and beat back some of the weeds. The wumpy space now looks a bit more habitable (though sprog always loved his "jungle"). It has taken some work to get child back into the garden this year - a good portion of that is my fault; I haven't had much energy to play and therefore couldn't sit back there with him and engage him so he's been going onto his computer. Also, whenever the kids next door come outside the wildness builds up a pitch as they or he clamours for each other's attention. This rarely ends well and therefore I've gotten into the habit of ushering child inside well before it starts. As a result sprog needs a load of encouragement to go outside and play. I did however manage to get him into his sandpit a few days ago while I sat on the lounger (until I'd had too much sun and had to get back in) and he was happy for an hour, so we're getting there. Now if I can get him back into the Wumpy House we'll be double-sorted.
The catmint isn't the only thing exploding - the rose wine I started a few days ago has just decided to make itself known and the yeasty must is going everywhere! This isn't anywhere near as much of a disaster as the ex's ill-fated bramble-berry experiment which dyed my walls and ceiling, but it does warrant watching and topping up the water in the airlock. This will settle a bit in a day or so, but I watch it and make sure it isn't reaching nuclear meltdown.
There was a load of windy weather a few weeks ago which sent all my fruit trees pirouetting - was glad to have the supports to keep them from snapping in half! The downside to this however is we lost quite a few fruits, and I've done a survey to find, to my dismay, the cherry tree has only two cherries left on it. Woe! The apple didn't fare much better, losing about half its proto-apples. The Pear's fruit was a bit more protected and managed to survive thankfully. This is a problem and I'll have to think about solutions.
I had more things I wanted to do outside; weeding, topdressing a bed or two, some more intensive garden faff and prepping a spot to move the discovered peony but the truth is - I can't do it. Simply can't manage if I also want to be able to make myself something to eat today rather than subsist on toast. I've used up the day's spoons, but I revel in the thought I can go outside while the chicken is soaking in coconut milk, coriander and lime, sit down on the Languishment Couch and doze in recovery mode for a little while.
Not a bad day.

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