Thursday, May 06, 2010

Cinco de Mayo and tomato hornworms

First, I have to vent about the lack of internet access if one happens to be a persopn living in rural America! Our only option is a satellite, that works only fitfully. So, again no photos because I am writing on a miserable net book without that big hard drive full of photos.

The Cinco de Mayo celebration in the fourth grade at Lacoochee Elementary was spectacular! I lugged in about a ton of stuff (with help from the kids): picadillo, tortillas, rice, fixings for guacamole, pineapple and giant grapes, and flan! I didn't know how much help I would have, but muchas senoras showed up with cooked beans they smashed and cooked again for refried beans. My favorite teacher, Rachel, brought in lots of sour cream, cheese, and the best corn tortillas made by her mother-in-law. One of the volunteer senoras brought in hand made decorations and I had my cd player belting out Celia Cruz. The kids were very interested in a huge and extremely heavy mortar and pestle one mom brought in to use to make the guacamole.

The making of the fiesta and the eating of the comida took a couple of hours and lots of other teachers came by to join in the fun. Afterwards when we had cleaned up everything in the multipurpose room, we went outside to do the pinata thing.

Rachel's husband is a teacher in this school too, and he is always into eating any of the stuff we make, so this day, after pronouncing the picadillo very good, I asked him to find a place to hang up the pinata I had filled with candy (I had considered filling it with politically correct and educational trinkets, but none of them would fit into the small orifice, so I went with candy.)

We all trooped out to the playground and fixed the hot pepper pinata to monkey bars with stout twine. These Mexican kids knew exactly what to do, they had done it many times before. There is a special chant, some rules (all new to me). So these kids were out oin the hot sun whacking away at a giant red cardboard jalapeno pepper. Eventually the thing just died of exhaustion and broke open. The kids all jumped on it in a clot more violent than anything in NFL.

It was the best. So satisfying to all, dangerous, potentially hurtful.

I loved this zany celebration and how kids and adults just hung out together and had fun all afternoon. I love this school that has the confidence and expansiveness to embrace this kind of joy. I especially loved being welcomed by these Mexicans who put up with my newly minted Spanish.

As I gathered together all the remains of the grand feast parents I didn't even know who were waiting for their kids sprang up to help us trundle everything out to my car. And several parents who are working on our school garden hurried up to tell me what was happening in all those containers. The corn! The beans! The peppers!

With my car chuck full of dirty pots and dishes I pulled out of the parking lot as six women colorfully clad in bright yellow traditional Mexican dresses were massing outside the auditorium. I just had to stop my car and leap out to give each of them a hug. I know some of them as the moms of kids I know. Others are the gardeners.

Speaking of which, I discovered a tomato horn worm on my best tomato plant approximately the size of a wiener dog. I cut it in six pieces with my garden scissors. I am spraying with BT, all an organic gardener can do. And I trapped an armadillo last night. The pests are here! Went to Lowes today and bought netting to cover the plants from squirrels and birds. Tomorrow morning when it's cool I plan to put down weed cover to quell the immense amount of dollar weed sprouting on all the garden paths.

I am here alone for a couple of days, not a bad thing. I love the solitude and privacy, the dawn chorus of birds, the hummingbirds busy in the honeysuckle, the crane family stalking around, proud of junior who is losing his red color and starting to get a bustle. I love working in the vegetable garden before it gets hot. It's similar to doing a jig saw puzzle because you just think about what you are doing now. Oh, yes, I thought this weed would never come back. Should I leave this morning glory? What about the volunteer zinnias? Yes, the butterflies love them. Oh, here is a lovely brown toad. And before you know it, the sun is getting high in the sky and I am dripping with sweat.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Blazing hot!

I vowed that I would never complain again about hot weather, but I am recanting. Zip! On the first of May, it became mid August with temperatures above ninety. So we cranked up the A/C a month early.

The vegetable garden that faired poorly in the cold spring is not that adaptable. It was the year that we had at least six big pickings of English peas, but in this heat wave, the squash overwhelmed them, glad to be able to reach out tentrils to something already there. The red pontiac potatoes are doing very well and we eat them daily. I love those little babies, so sweet and crunchy and fun to find by digging my fingers into the dirt where there are so many earthworms now. Collards are spectacular and I have covered with netting the tomato plants that are attractive to the birds and squirrels. This year I put out the tomatoes early and planted them in large containers. What a difference that made! No nematodes, and so far no tomato horn worms. We are already picking cherry tomatoes.

I have covered the salad tables with left over screening so we are still harvesting lettuces. Cucumbers are coming on.

I have never seen such an infestation of dollar weed! I heavily mulch the actual vegetables with hay, but the paths between are verdant with the beautiful circles of this pervasive weed. Many self seeded zinnias are springing up and I treasure them, as do the butterflies.I heavily mulch but in a few days dollar weed is back. We replaced a jute mat on our porch and I put the old one out in the garden to smother weeds. It works very well. I need more old biodegradable mats!

The bottom line is that most of the vegetables we eat come from this family garden.

Our gentle bull, Nugene, didn't live up to his potential and he was taken away today, soon to replaced by another more horny bull. We want every cow to have a calf and Nugene didn't accomplish this.

I love these days of just this and that in this paradise of tree canopy, sounds of frogs and insects and so many songbirds. Lots of work to maintain this but it is worth it!

Can't do a blog without some thoughts about the crazy Florida politics happening. So what is wrong about taxes?? Those taxes get us what we need for a decent life style. It's called democratic government! I am glad that Charlie went independent. Just maybe he has a chance. I am voting for Meek I think, but I am for anyone who can be a spoiler for Rubio. (Are you all amazed at the bottom feeders who have also come out as candidates?)

Keep growing your own food! Stay tuned for my report on our Cinco de mayo fiesta happening at Lacoochee school.