Lavender, garlic and other random growing things....

We have just returned home from a five day trip to Montana.  It is amazing the growth in the garden and the beds in just five days.  

Lavender drying in a basket that I made eons ago.

I've been picking a lot of lavender.  I mostly use the lavender for sachets and drawer liners to keep moths away. Also, a nice addition to gift baskets.  Haven't jumped into making lavender food yet.  Not sure why.


 Nice to have fresh garlic.  Last year's was getting a bit tired and bitter.

Garlic drying in the sun

While I revel in the beauty and productivity of the Willamette Valley, I can't help but be concerned about the agricultural conditions across the country.  A recent CBS newscast said that over 80% of the US is suffering from a drought.   Ranchers are selling their cattle at a loss because they cannot afford to feed them. The Iowa corn crop is pretty well decimated. I read Bill McKibben's article about global warming in the August issue of Rolling Stone Magazine this afternoon.  Depressing, but worth the read.  

No more complaining about the Pacific Northwest rain, I am oh so thankful for the abundance it brings.

Every year we try a couple of new vegetables in the garden.  This year we are testing leaks and cabbage. Last year we tried kale...a success.  The year before that we tried garbanzo beans...not a success.  That same year we planted black beans and peregione beans. They have become mainstays of the garden.  We retain seeds to replant the following year, and every year the beans become more productive  We also grow kidney beans to dry.  We often hear that dried beans can be had for a song, so why bother to plant them, dry them, sort them, etc.  The answer is simple. We know where they came from.  We know how they are stored.  We know that we are not contributing to Monsanto.  Perhaps growing a garden is an act of civil (corporate) disobedience. 


Flowers and old rusty old bikes seem to go together.  This bike is at least 60 years old.  It had three bike license plates on it.  One from The Dalles, Oregon 1952.

1950's Montgomery Ward Bike

 Another bluebird clutch is on the way!

Three bluebird eggs

I took this picture this afternoon.  There will probably be a couple more eggs laid in the nest.  The first clutch had 5 eggs.  Four of the five have survived and will now help raise these babes once they hatch out.  I will peak back in a day or two.


Thank you for peaking in!