Swimmingly

How's my semester going? Great so far! I'm not teaching and am enjoying the break. And I've stayed healthy so far.

My big excitement this semester is the wonderful swimming schedule. I get to swim six days a week! And I've really improved. Tonight I swam for an hour and a half. At one point I did 4.75 laps without a break. I could have done many more, but I stopped to help a guy get his goggles from the bottom of the deep end. I was swimming very slowly, but I swam steadily and didn't feel tired. That's a huge improvement in stamina, efficiency, and confidence. And I'm now fitting into pants I haven't worn in a year or more. This is what I hoped to accomplish last semester. Well, that and more cooking and cleaning. I'm still working on the cooking and cleaning.

Different Strokes

In June I finally started swimming lessons. I learned to swim with my head out of the water when I was in elementary school, so I know how to swim. I want to be able to swim with my face in the water because it's more efficient for lap swimming. After about a month of lessons, my instructor told me that I knew the technique but I wasn't making progress because my problem was all in my head. After I came home from one lesson crying--I was supposed to pretend that I was swimming to rescue someone at the other end of the pool, and I didn't make it--I considered that I might need therapy before I could be a good swimmer. Instead I decided to learn other swimming strokes. Perhaps the freestyle isn't my stroke. I could already do the backstroke, so I started learning the breaststroke. I had taken my instructor's advice and had watched YouTube videos about swimming. In addition to getting some good tips, I discovered that one company makes a swimmer's snorkel. Instead of sticking out at the side of the head, the snorkel comes up straight in front of the nose. It allows swimmers to practice proper form without worrying about breathing. AHA! Practice without worry! Maybe I could get out of my head. So I ordered a snorkel from Amazon, and I love it. I can feel myself making progress. When I swim in the mornings, I do several laps with the snorkel and then a few laps without, and I can tell a difference in both my freestyle and breaststroke. And with enough oxygen, I'm finally developing some stamina. I'm still not a great swimmer, but I'm getting closer to my goal of efficient lap swimming for exercise. And even if I never get really good on my own, I now have a snorkel to help.

When the Gardener's Away, the Squash Will Play...

In mid-July, we went on vacation, so I got a student we play board games with to water my garden while I was away. I had put too much time into the garden to let it completely die in the 90-100 degree weather we were having. But while we were gone, central Kentucky got lots of rain, and my garden went wild. I still haven't recovered. I have weeded some, but it's a losing battle at this point. Amid the large weeds, my spaghetti squash overgrew the nearby purple hull peas. Tendrils were twisted around pea pods and were trying to wrap around the tomato fence in the front garden, and vines were growing halfway across our driveway. And tomato plants too short to tie up were over a foot high and falling over. It was crazy.

Despite the lush growth, my harvests have been meager. My fennel bolted before the bulb was big enough to harvest. A couple of my eggplants shriveled. My zucchini and summer squash plants never made any squash, and even the plants are dead now. My cucumber plants keep making flowers, but I haven't seen any cucumbers yet.  I have gotten two "messes" of peas and will probably pick another tomorrow. I ate the entire last batch all by myself, and they were good. I only get one or two cherry tomatoes at a time, which I pop in my mouth as soon as I pick them. And they've been good. We got a few ears of corn in early July. My second planting of corn is beginning to put out ears. And the spaghetti squash plants are making nice sized squashes. I'm pretty excited about the spaghetti squash and leeks. And I've got some nice beets and carrots going. I'll try to take some pictures soon.

I need to start thinking about fall planting, but I'm already thinking about next year. I've got big plans for walled gardens and compost bins and rain barrels and companion planting and squash trellises.

What a Difference a Month Makes!

It's been a while since I last posted, and my garden has grown exponentially.

 One month ago, my corn was about a foot tall.

Now it's as tall as I am and has formed tasseled ears of corn.

A month ago

Now the green bean plants are growing like crazy, and the purple hull peas have finally sprouted. And all of my squash bowls are growing well, too. I've planted butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash; burpless and Armenian yard-long cucumbers; and pumpkins.

A month ago

Nothing but the snap peas were growing well, so I put some colorful pots of
herbs, lettuces, and tomatoes in the plot.

A month ago my fennel and eggplant were this big.

Now I've got a little eggplant growing!
And you can see the fennel in the background.

A month ago my zucchini plant looked like this.

Now it's making zucchinis!

Growing the Good Stuff

I have had two major gardening projects recently: the first, my front yard garden, and the second, my intestinal flora. The first has been immeasurably more successful.
My little garden is doing great. Things are coming up pretty well. I've got some other stuff to start, but I haven't felt energetic enough to do much.

Lettuces and spinach are sprouting.

Radishes and beets are getting big (as are the weeds behind them).

Strawberry plant is making tiny strawberries.

Cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, and basil are transplanted.

Pea plants are stretching out and climbing the fence.

I haven't felt well because of my less-than-successful gut gardening. I took two rounds of antibiotics in February and March because of sinus infections. The last round not only killed my sinus infection but all of the good bacteria in my intestines. The absence of the good stuff that aids digestion allowed bad bacteria to grow unchecked. That was a very bad thing. And it was timed very badly. I was in Florida at a conference with Matt. There are many graphic details to this story, so I won't post it online. It was bad, very bad. Many trips to the bathroom. Terrible intestinal cramps. And the solution was more antibiotics, which made me feel better in less than 24 hours. I started taking a probiotic with the antibiotic so that I can replenish the good "gut flora." Unfortunately, the bacteria I have lays spores that will hatch at a later date and start the whole thing all over again. So I have something to look forward.

You Can Learn a Lot of Things From the Flowers

I love daffodils. They have always been my favorite flower. They show up early and stick around for my birthday in April. So when I saw two sizes of daffodils on clearance in Kroger, I got some. After I enjoy them inside for a while, I'll plant them outside. I'm thinking about creating a circle around our crepe myrtle tree. About the time the daffodils are gone, the crepe myrtle will be exploding with bright pink blossoms. I've also considered putting some strawberry plant in the circle to add greenery, flowers, and eventually berries.

The recent sunny (though very windy) weather has given me the opportunity to start my outdoor garden. On Tuesday, I planted root veggies and crops with significant root systems in the deep containers. I planted two kinds of beets, three kinds of carrots, radishes, turnips, fennel, jalapenos, and jelly bean tomatoes. And I was on top of things enough this year to label what I planted. This will be especially helpful when I'm comparing carrot varieties. I haven't added any plants to my bags from last year. I'll wait a few weeks to start those seeds or transfer plants. I want my herb harvests to be staggered.

Today I planted more in the sidewalk garden. I sowed snap peas a few weeks ago, which haven't come up yet. Now I've added lettuces, spinaches, green onions, globe basil, swiss chard, arugula, and some lavender and chamomile. I think I did a better job of spacing the seeds this time. I just realized I forgot to plant the purple basil. Oh well. I'll stick some out there sometime soon. I'd really like to extend the side walk and the sidewalk garden all the way to the driveway. Right now it just goes to the end of the house. Just think of all I could plant with a few more bags of soil!

One of the things I'm really excited about this year is the blueberry plant. It's small and sticking out of the black dirt. I planted it in an existing hole near our driveway. If you look at our house on Google Maps street view, it shows a tree near the driveway. That tree was removed quite a white before we moved here, and grass filled the hole. We didn't even realize we had a hole until Grandma and her broken foot found it two summers ago. The hole was deep enough to potentially cause injury, so now there's no longer a hole. There's a blueberry plant. Matt was afraid the plant might get stepped on if we didn't mark it somehow, so I put a shepherds crook near it (the black stick behind the hole), which will have some sort of potted plant hanging from it.

I have also transferred my seedlings to pots. By the end of the month, I should have a usable herb garden. Now I just have to figure out where in my kitchen I can set up a grow light to keep my herbs flourishing.

Survived the Storms

We are fine. W didn't even hear the siren or have to go to the basement. Many others in Kentucky, Indiana, and elsewhere were not as fortunate. Thank you for your prayers.

Stormy Weather

This is just a note to friends and family to let you know that serious storms are headed for central Kentucky and are a threat until at least 8:00 p.m. I'm getting the basement prepped in case we need to spend some time down there. I'll have my cell phone and will post to Facebook or Twitter late tonight to let you know we're OK even if we lose electricity. Posting online will get the message out and save minutes and battery life on my phone.

I'm hoping that I'm overreacting, but I've been hearing dire warnings all day and feel the need to prepare just in case. And I know that if some family members watch the weather or news, they will get worried, and I want to assure you I'm prepared and have a plan for putting your minds at ease. Prayers for us and for the entire region are appreciated.

Now I've got to gather a bag of snacks for the basement, make sure our radio has batteries, gather flashlights and candles, and a make a few other wise inclement weather preparations.

Sunny Days are Here Again

In my last post I said I planned to post more often. And then I got sick. I have kept a cold that turned into a sinus infection for a month. When it was obvious that it had turned into a sinus infection, I went to the doctor and got antibiotics and am feeling much better.  So now I am posting as promised.

My return to health is coinciding nicely with the return of warmer weather. And warm weather means gardening. I already have pictures.

Just before I got sick last month I started some herbs and lettuce under a grow light. I enjoyed gardening in my dining room so much that I bought another grow light. Here's my set up: Walmart grow lights with aluminum foil reflectors sitting on long free-standing wire shelves on the floor next to the dining room table. I put my aloe vera near the light to perk it up, too.

The plants have done well. I put them outside in a shady area for a little while this afternoon. They seem to like it.

I also checked on my previous soil bags and found herbs already growing. Parsley, dill, mint, and thyme are going strong.

I've also put out some new soil bags in hopes of foiling my arch-nemesis, bindweed. I dug a trench in the little front garden, lined it with weed retardant fabric and newspaper, and put soil bags on top. I'm not sure if it will work, but it's worth a try. I've already planted snap peas near the little fence in front of the garden. I plan to put in herbs and lettuce soon. I'll also prep the containers from last year to plant beets, radishes, carrots, and tomatoes. I will probably start seeds indoors again and hope for better results now that I have grow lights.

Now that I'm feeling better, I've also gone to the pool once and experimented with eggplant recipes (not at the same time, obviously). The ratatouille and moussaka I made were really good. We discovered that Matt has a slight sensitivity to eggplant. It made his mouth tingle. I researched and learned that eggplant is high in histamines. Since he's never had problems with eggplant in the past, I'm assuming that his allergy to Kentucky is making him more susceptible to allergic-like reactions to histamines. By that logic, I shouldn't eat eggplant in southern Arkansas or east Texas.

I've got to wrap this up now. I'm making waffles for lunch. The waffle maker is on the counter and is calling to me. I tried some Krusteaz waffle mix and thought it was great. Krusteaz does everything well. I've also got some past-their-prime strawberries to puree to put on top. Waffles with strawberries and puttering around barefoot in the garden sounds like a good afternoon.

A Fresh Start

Life was so busy last semester that I wasn't able to do many things that I wanted. I didn't make it to the pool all semester. I cooked far less than I'd like. Our house reached new levels of clutter and filth. And I just wasn't doing anything very well, including taking care of myself. So at the end of last semester I realized I needed to take a semester off from teaching. So that's what I'm doing. And it it fantastic! Almost all of our meals are home-cooked, and I'm trying out new recipes. Parts of the house are noticeably cleaner. I'm exercising more and have lost a very little weight. I'm working on scheduling swimming lessons, and I'm already planning my garden.

One of the other things I'm trying to do is blog more often. I figure I can write 140 characters a day on Twitter, so I added a Tweet a Day box to the side of my blog. If I post nothing else, at least you'll hear a little about what I'm thinking or doing.