First Flower of Spring

I have flowers!
Blue Scillas are blooming by the back porch.

Summer Veggies and Fish

This summer I have signed up for a Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) and a Community Supported Fishery(CSF) share. I'm really excited about it. I will hardly going to need to go to the store! But I will have to spend a lot of time cooking.

The CSA is at Hatchet Cove Farm which is about a 20 minute drive from me. The woman I spoke with is extremely nice. I can't wait to get vegetables that I never eat, like Kale and Celeriac. I might be calling on you for recipes. The farm has also be talking about partnering with an area creamery to start a cheese share. I love cheese, although I'm not sure I could or should eat enough every week to buy a share.

The CSF is called Port Clyde Fresh Catch. The group of groundfisherman started this about a year ago and it has gotten a lot of publicity. I believe there was even an article in the New York Times about it. Port Clyde is one of the last ground fishing ports in Maine and they really want to make it sustainable. My roommates father is one of the fisherman and has struggled the past few years. The price of fish as gone down and regulations on fishing have increased.

My friend, Sara, and I are splitting a half share, so we each will get 3/4 to a 1 lb of fish fillets each week. Depending on what they bring in we could get haddock, cod, flounder, hake, dabs, grey sole, monkfish, pollock and redfish. This will be more fish than I have eaten before. I hope I don't get sick of it. The kicker is you get half of the fish and have to fillet it yourself. Sara says she has experience with this and will fillet for us. I hope so, although it will be fun to learn.

The CSF starts in early June and I get the first box of veggies in mid-June. I'll let you know how it goes!

Anyone up for a Little Illicit Cultivation?

Well I guess the term "Guerrilla Gardening" was coined to fight the "war" against neglect and scarcity of public green spaces. I think of it more as Random Acts of Gardening. The thought of going out late, protected by the darkness of night, to secretly plant things seems pretty darn fun. HERE is the site.

My first project would be to plant a few more trees around the neighborhood!

Glory be

I'm learning to blog. Its sure lot to learn for a old codger.

I made a shirt!

I'm still not sure what posessed me. It may have been recent exposure to really nice shirts, or my habit of exploring different processes of creation, or even a latent feeling that the pillow we were required to make in Home Ec. was a horrible representation of what a skill had to offer. In any case, I recently got the urge to make a shirt.

Luckily, I married someone with the patience to answer my never-ending stream of "why", while also knowing when to just let me veer off course and follow a hunch. Amanda escorted me to the nearest Jo-Ann Fabrics, guided me through the pattern books, dug through fabric, and helped me round up all of the other bits & bobbinss necessary. Once home, I got an introduction to the sewing machine, and was then turned loose.

In all, I think the project ran for about sixteen hours. I think a second round could run as short as twelve hours, since I could cut out the copious amounts of time staring at directions wondering what they could possibly mean. I'd be surprised if I ever got the process below eight hours, though. There was a lot of pinning, ironing, cutting, sewing, repinning, re-ironing, recutting, resewing, ...

But, the project ended successfully. I write this post while wearing the shirt, after it survived a full day of wear and coworker compliments. I don't know how soon I'll pick up the needle and thread again, but I'm more comfortable with the price tag attached to fine clothing now.

I've put up pictures of the process here. Enjoy!

Virginia Eagles

One chick hatched yesterday and one this morning. Hopefully one more tomorrow. They are so CUTE! I think the Maine eagles should move south... they have not even laid an egg yet.

The camera seems to be down quite often so just try it once in awhile. Click HERE.

Robin

I saw my first robin yesterday. I love that sound.

Everyone report in - have you seen robins yet?

Spring

Oh how I wish it were so. It has been so nice and warm up here, up to about 61 yesterday. The snow is melting away, the pond has water in it (on top of the ice, but still water), the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, the grass needs mowing.

No, wait a minute, I got carried away. I know we will have some winter weather yet to come, but this reprieve is lovely!

Winter

Okay, I am officially tired of winter. That is hard to say for a winter lover, but when you get a day or so up in the 30s and then go back to the cold and then you get the storm and then the cold again, it gets harder to handle. We only got about 5 inches and I say if I am getting a winter storm I want lots, I. Falls got 16 inches, that is what I want. Give me snow or give me spring!

Also, Bette and I had to cancel our trip to Jamaica, first because of snow in FDL and then because of snow here. Nuts I say to that!

Just so everyone knows, and all are invited, the annual Worm Moon Party is set for March 21. Be here about noon and bring a dish to share. See you there!

Live Eagle Camera

I found a new Eagle Camera.





Click HERE to view the nest.




This nest is located farther south, in Virginia, so the eagle has already laid 3 eggs. As I was setting up the link I watched her rotate the eggs and pull twigs closer to her body. Do you think that is the same as pulling up another blanket in bed?