JavaPeg
@javapeg
Married to Doug () in OR. Impatient gardener, food & beverage fanatic, former engineer, data driven liberal.
It's "forage my street" blackberry season. Over 5 lbs from the large stand < 1 block away. Because these are roadside berries, they will get a soak in dilute soapy water, a rinse in clear water, and then be used ONLY for cooking. I'll probably make jam and syrup. Maybe a crisp or cake.
Aha- this thread mentions they can be high if not using epa conversion in variable quality situations turned that on and figures are much closer now. bsky.app/profile/drje...
What's weird is purple air has data 90-110 with some higher, and every other service I check has 50-70ish (OR, air now, IQAir) That's a difference of "take it easy" to "avoid outside". Makes me wonder if the PA monitors are more sensitive or somehow different from other monitoring.
One of my garden/retirement goals was growing extra food to donate. Surprising struggle to find a local outfit who'd accept fresh garden items. Our local library started a food share last October. I am finally taking my 1st basket - zukes, tomatillos, snow peas, and loads of herbs! 🌱
the first two blooms appeared today. It's Farewell to Spring, and appears there are two varieties. If they don't die in the heat we are going to have a flood of pink...
We have one we plan to remove to replace with natives. It's very bushy, this is after a heavy pruning. Yours if you want it - will require a truck. And a lot of shovel power. 😁
Forget sharing the last picture you saved, I want to see the very first picture on your phone. My cat buster in 2015. He passed in 2025. It's the same photo that judges me from my phone screen.
Pretty sure the law of @kenwhite.bsky.social applies here. bsky.app/profile/kenw... Whatever the settlement is now is corrupt. When (eventually) the corrupt admin is gone, rule anything corrupt they did invalid and move on from there. Audit and Prosecute then.
Deadheading my calendula and 2 have started producing new flowers from the deadhead itself! 🌱
Not only were we lucky enough to find ramps at the market as late as May, but they had amazing, large root bulbs. Some even had additional tubers on the base! Welcome to the garden, ramp patch starter kit!! 🌱
It's Springtime. We all need a deep breath after today. If you see this, QP with something in bloom. Stop and smell the flowers (our newest apple tree - Hudson Golden Gem - blooming away despite its wee size)
Our 1st winter here I put cardboard & wood chips over a portion of weedy yard carpet. There were sparsely distributed handfuls of compost I'd started - not degraded, just wet stuff from a pile.. That patch grew so much winter squash the next season we gave away 30+% and ate squash till April.
Over 2+years, I've been building soil for a native plant bed on a hard pack & rock easement - decaying chipdrop remnants, tree leaves & catkins, a little cedar sawdust. I turned the bed this past weekend & found Leto II Atreides worms - larger than I've ever seen! No fooling!! 🌱
Only made our local #NoKings protest for short time but big crowd, great energy, awesome signs and @orsecretaryread.bsky.social came to speak! Grateful to have a state gov't that is helping in the fight!
Crappy iphone pictures of the moon halo (props to @dreamwieber.bsky.social for posting their pic - we ran outside to check it out 🙂)
Yesterday was the anniversary of our sweet Buster's passing. He was such a character and I miss him. He still judges me from my phone's lock screen. Is a year too long to mourn a pet? I know we'll eventually get another cat (or two) but I'm still not there yet.
Last year we had to replace our fence (oof!). We reclaimed lots of usable posts and boards. Extra wood = last year's wood chip garden trenches are being converted to raised beds! Different spacing, slight shift for sun exposure, and paths. I'm recovering as trench soil as practical. 🌱
I don't do as many food photos these days but sunday supper was pretty righteous even if the picture was meh: Braised beef shanks in (wild mushroom stock, red wine, homemade saba); Porcini risotto with oregon white truffle; Sautéed greens w/garlic & lemon. Walter Scott 2022 Witness Tree Pinot Noir.