Hodge Podge

I know it has been quiet as far as news from the garden goes. There is a reason. Our serene garden space has been (somewhat) torn up to deal with burying power and Internet lines and other house-related underground madness (a nice way of saying septic system). The earth-ripping machinery has stayed away from anything I established, but working in the muddy space is not fun. Willa and I have been trespassing on the land next to ours (photo above) and making the best of what we can. Spring promises peace and order in the garden (so says Corey). Good Lord, I hope so. 'Cause when my garden is out of control, my brain mirrors the chaos and gets somewhat unhappy.

Some distractions from the mud and the muck:

This gorgeous, sustainable, permaculture-driven hobbit house.

I like very strong Irish Breakfast tea to jolt me out of my morning fog and found Bewley's of Ireland in Charlottesville. Make that a double-jolt.

I made this for dinner last week. You should, too. Even baby ate kale and squash.

I so want to make this. The author's blog, make grow gather, is wonderful and crafty. I also tend to linger over her posts about the family's cottage in Ireland.

Speaking of cottages, amid the fog and the downpours, an email hit my inbox from a friend who is renting out his family's Ontario cottage during the summers. This is especially fantasy-provoking because during my time in Manhattan, I had this photo cut out and up on the fridge about 'Cottaging in Ontario.' I would stare and stare and stare at it. Mind-melding the wish with reality, I imagine.

I'm so curious about airplants and think a few might like taking up residence next to our shower.

This is on its way to our house from Modcloth.com and I think bundling up for winter will become that much more fun.

I'm excited about shredding leaves for our compost bins and our raised beds. File that under 'nerdy gardener' thought processes.