With the coming of the new year, the catalogs have begun to arrive. So far, I've received ten: Fedco Trees Shrubs & Perennials, Fedco Seeds & Supplies, Pinetree Garden Seeds, Johnny's Selected Seeds, Jung Seeds & Plants, David Austin Roses, Swan Island Dahlias, John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, R. H. Shumway Illustrated Garden Guide, Select Seed Seeds & Plants, and Murray McMurray Hatchery. There will be even more in the weeks ahead. They are one of the things I rely on to help me cope with these long cold weeks of winter.
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| Catalogs. |
As they arrive, I read through each catalog and make lists of the seeds and plants I need and want. The "want" list tends to be unrealistic and nothing much comes of it. The "need" list is more practical. I like to see what is new and trendy in the gardening world, but I'm not often tempted to indulge in new and trendy things. I prefer the tried and true seeds and plants that I know from experience will grow well for me. But sometimes the temptation is too great and I'll try a new variety of a vegetable or a new color of flower. For instance, I see a new variety of lettuce called Sunland in the Pinetree catalog that I think I will try. "Sunland Lettuce (50 Days) An extremely heat-tolerant romaine variety for summer harvests. It is tall and upright, with thick, succulent leaves and a perfect romaine texture. 150 seeds - $2.50." My mouth waters just reading that. And then there's the photo!
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| Sunland Lettuce. |
Then, from the Select Seeds catalog I see: "New - Sweet Pea 'Monty Don.' Vigorous and trustworthy 'Monty Don' zooms up the trellis or pea brush and blooms reliably during the long days of early summer with a fragrance that has ben described as "smashing." A deep maroon grandiflora, and altogether handsome! 1 Plant $10.95." Monty Don, the host of the BBC's Gardener's World, is one of my horticultural heroes, but that's a bit pricey for me for one plant. But after looking at the photo and reading the description, I decided that this year I will grow a whole bed of sweet peas, one of my favorite flowers. So I turned to page 14 in the catalog where they offer sweet pea seeds, not plants, and I found just what I'm looking and longing for, varieties like the "intoxicatingly fragrant" 'April in Paris' with "lavender kissed edges on creamy white." Or 'Mollie Rilstone' with "elegant long stems, free-spirited wavy petals of cream traced with deep pink, and an unmistakably strong sweet fragrance." Yes. I'm going to devote one entire bed in my raised bed garden to growing sweet peas this year. I have my eye on six different varieties. It's going to be wonderful.
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Top left: 'Monty Don,' Top right: 'Mollie Rilstone.'
Bottom left: 'Lady Hamilton,' Bottom right: 'April in Paris.' |
One of the catalogs that is hardest for me to resist is the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. Yes, I know that last year I said I would not buy new chicks anymore and will only increase my flock from now on by hatching out my own. But then the McMurray catalog arrived and my resolution crumbled. Besides, I didn't have much luck with my own hens hatching eggs last year. I only got two new chicks. A friend at church hatched five eggs for me in her incubator, four of which turned out to be roosters. And many of my hens are old and are not good layers now. So that's my rationalization for ordering new chicks this spring. Now I have to decide which breeds to order. First I see Light Brahmas. I love Light Brahmas. Some of the best hens we've ever had were Light Brahmas. I'll get some. Then a few pages later, I see Blue Cochins and I want some of those too. And a few pages after that, French Black Copper Marans, with their beautiful dark brown eggs. And a few more pages, Buff Orpingtons. How can I choose? I know, I'll get a few of each!
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Top left: Light Brahma, Top right: Blue Cochin
Bottom left: French Black Copper Maran, Bottom right: Buff Orpington. |
Every day when the mail arrives and there is another catalog, I retreat to a warm chair near the wood stove or by the furnace and spend an hour reading through it. Every now and then I go back through my entire pile of catalogs looking for more inspiration. This year's garden is going to be spectacular. My plan is to scale back again, try to keep it all more manageable, but I've been saying that for several years now and it hasn't happened yet. I'll do better this year. Grow less, but grow it better—that's my garden motto for 2025.
After having grandchildren here for thirteen days, things seemed very subdued after they went home last Sunday. Monday was especially quiet. Stacey left for work in the morning. Miriam and Hannah hadn't returned from Thayn's yet. I was home alone most of the day. I'd put off the New Year's Big Housecleaning until after the grandchildren were gone. There wasn't much use in ransacking rooms with them underfoot. So on Monday morning I embarked, starting with the hardest room—the music room/library.
After the morning chores were done, I put on a long queue of good working music—I chose my favorite movie soundtracks—and began. I started on the west side of the room, the side with all the windows and my plant shelves. I took all the plants down and lined them up on the dining room table. Then I washed them one at a time in the kitchen sink and gave them a good soaking with a little bit of plant food in the water. While they were down, I washed the windows and reconfigured all the wiring to the grow lights. Then I put the plants back in place. I didn't get any further than that. The other walls of the room are all bookshelves. They needed a major reorganization. There were too many books stacked randomly atop other books. I didn't want to tackle that job without Miriam, and she wasn't home yet, so I waited until Tuesday. Miriam and Hannah arrived home on Monday evening.
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| Panoramic shot of the refurbished west wall. |
Tuesday morning when I went out to do the chores, the wind chill was at zero. As I trudged through the drifts in the front yard, I heard the big maples popping and cracking. The extreme cold freezes the sap in their veins and makes them groan and creak and pop. I think the same thing happens to me. When I arrived at the coop, I found a dead hen. She was one of my very oldest hens. I'd noticed that she'd been slowing down lately. She was about ten years old, which is a good old age for a chicken. She was one of the last of my Black Australorp hens. A lot of people kill their hens once they're past prime egg laying age, but I don't. If they get sick or injured, we will despatch them, but otherwise I let them live on into old age. I figure they've done a good job providing me with eggs all those years, so I'll let them live in comfortable retirement. I know it's not a very efficient way to manage a flock, but it suits my nature.
Tuesday was spent among my books. After the morning chores, I started on the shelves on the north wall where I keep mostly history and reference books. I scanned each shelf looking at the titles on the spines, determining whether or not a book deserved a place there. I only have so much room. I tried to be very critical in my estimations. Was it a classic? Was it obsolete? Did I have a sentimental attachment to it? It was difficult. After an hour, I'd managed to rearrange some of the books so that similar subjects were near each other, but I only eliminated two German lesson books that I'd never even opened and knew I never would. So much for critical estimation. At that point I took a break and waited for Miriam to assist me.
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| The north wall bookshelf, before. |
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| And after. Can you see a difference? |
I was counting on Miriam's more practical outlook to help me overcome some of my sentimentality. But between the two of us, we didn't cull too many books. We ended up mostly organizing things better. When we were done, it looked nice and it will do until next year when I do another New Year's Housecleaning.
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| The other shelves tidied up. |
Wednesday was another zero degree day. I was home by myself most of the day. I decided to clean our bedroom closet. It's a small closet that sits under the steps to the upstairs, so it's ceiling gets lower as it goes back. That makes it less useful as the racks for hanging clothes have to be toward the front. Lots of things get pushed into the low space behind the clothes racks and get forgotten. I put on a queue of Vivaldi, perfect music for a cold January day, and began. I took out all the clothing on hangers. I moved the hanger racks back and higher up. I swept out cobwebs. There are always cobwebs in this house. I reorganized all the things stored in the low end of the closet. Then I sorted through all the clothes and rehung them. Several items went into a bag for the thrift store. And the closet was done—until the next time. That took me until noon.
This Friday, January the 17th, marks the 25th anniversary of our move here. When I look back at what the house looked like back then and what our family looked like, I'm amazed at the changes—in the house, the yard, and the people. When my grandfather bought this house he couldn't foresee that more than a hundred years later it would still be in the family, a home beloved by five generations. We've tried to keep the old place in good repair, but with a house this old—156 years old!— there is always something that needs fixing. We like to sit sometimes and talk of things we hope to do to fix things and spruce things up. It's a long list and most of it requires skills beyond our abilities, but some day… In the last few years we've managed to put on a new front porch, a new roof, and refurbish the kitchen. But for right now, in the dead of winter, the only thing I can think to do is clean rooms and closets and cupboards.
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May 2000.
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Top Left: November 1999. Top Right: June 2024.
Bottom Left: May 2000. Bottom Right: May 2024. |
Last week we watched with sadness the fires burning in Southern California. We lived there for twenty years and, although we were glad to finally escape it, we have many happy memories of the place. That is where I met and married my wife and where all of our children were born. As I watched footage of the fires and looked at the maps, I kept thinking that I know those places. I lived in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley. I worked in Hollywood a block north of the Walk of Fame. I went to concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and to movies at the Chinese Theater. I've been to Pacific Palisades and Malibu, seen the beautiful homes there. To see it threatened and so much of it reduced to ashes makes me sad. People I know, my sister-in-law's brother and his wife lost their home in the Altadena fire. During the years we lived there, we experienced fires, the Santa Ana winds, earthquakes, and floods. We saw crime and congestion and yet, I cannot deny the beauty of the place in spite of all that. I'm glad I don't live there anymore, but I'm sad to see it burning.
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| Afternoon sunshine on a cold day. |
Thursday was spent in doctor's appointments and errands. It was very cold and I was more than happy to spend most of the day inside or in a car where it was warm. When I went down to do the chores that morning, the lids to the chicken's waterers were frozen on. The water inside was still liquid, but the lids at the top were frozen and I couldn't turn them to open them. When I went down to do the afternoon chores, I took hot water with me and poured it over the lids to get them to open. When will it be spring?
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| Sunrise Friday. |
On Friday it was warmer. We hit 25°. It's funny how 25° can seem warm after so many days of near 0° weather. The Fosters come over for dinner, Friday pizza. Saturday was a little warmer, 27°. We took advantage of the "warmth" to replenish the wood supply on the back porch. I wanted to bring in wood from the pavilion out in the big garden, but the snow was deep out there and difficult to traverse. After one load, I quit and we brought in wood from a pile close to the house instead. Stacey, Hannah, and I moved one whole section onto the porch. That should last us about six weeks.
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| Loading firewood. |
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| The replenished porch. |
Today it is the warmest it has been in quite a while, 32°, a regular January heat wave! It won't last. I see from the forecast that we will be well below freezing again for the next week. We are home from church now. Stacey is making lunch. I'm thinking about going down to do the chores early to allow more time for an afternoon nap after lunch. I can't think of a better way to spend a January Sabbath afternoon. But we are just about half way through the month already and that's good. I like to get January out of the way. We are 66 days, 14 hours, and 56 minutes to the Spring Equinox. Not that I'm counting.
